Nature of the strong field capabilities of lasers

H. R. Reiss

doi:10.1117/12.2017535

7 May 2013 Nature of the strong field capabilities of lasers

H. R. Reiss

Proceedings Volume 8780, High-Power, High-Energy, and High-Intensity Laser Technology; and Research Using Extreme Light: Entering New Frontiers with Petawatt-Class Lasers; 87801K (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2017535
Event: SPIE Optics + Optoelectronics, 2013, Prague, Czech Republic

Abstract

Research with lasers of extremely high intensity has been proposed in terms of tunneling and the “Schwinger Limit”, which refers to breakdown of the vacuum into electron-positron pairs caused by a static or quasistatic electric field. The difficulty is that lasers produce transverse fields, wherein the electric and magnetic fields form a mutually orthogonal triad with the direction of propagation. Tunneling, including the Schwinger Limit, relates to longitudinal fields, in which the direction of the electric field vector is the only preferred direction. Transverse fields propagate indefinitely without inputs from source or current distributions. By contrast, longitudinal fields require continuing contributions from external source or current distributions. Failure to distinguish between longitudinal and transverse fields is consequential in that some proposed applications of very high intensity lasers pertain only to tunneling processes, but not to laser fields. A related difficulty is the flawed notion that tunneling constitutes a low-frequency limit of laser-induced processes. A counter-indication is that the ponderomotive potential of a charged particle in a laser field is proportional to the inverse square of the field frequency. Thus there is no possible approach to a zero-frequency laser field. The Göppert-Mayer gauge transformation of atomic physics makes possible a limited correspondence between transverse and longitudinal fields. The correspondence fails at both high and, most importantly, at low field frequencies. Vacuum pair production does not require the Schwinger Limit, but can be achieved at much lower intensities.

Citation Download Citation

H. R. Reiss "Nature of the strong field capabilities of lasers", Proc. SPIE 8780, High-Power, High-Energy, and High-Intensity Laser Technology; and Research Using Extreme Light: Entering New Frontiers with Petawatt-Class Lasers, 87801K (7 May 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2017535

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available