Laser Acceleration toward PeV Feeling the Texture of Vacuum

TL;DR

This paper explores the theoretical possibility of using laser-driven acceleration to reach PeV electron energies, enabling fundamental physics studies of vacuum structure and potential deviations from relativity at extremely high energies.

Contribution

It proposes a novel approach to accelerate electrons to PeV energies using existing laser and plasma technologies, aiming to study vacuum texture and fundamental physics without relying on luminosity.

Findings

Parameters for PeV electron acceleration are estimated from scaling laws.

Potential to retrofit existing laser facilities for PeV acceleration.

Method to test vacuum structure via gamma photon speed measurements.

Abstract

Identified is a set of ballpark parameters for laser, plasma, and accelerator technologies that are defined for accelerated electron energies reaching as high as PeV. These parameters are carved out from the scaling laws that govern the physics of laser acceleration, theoretically suggested and experimentally explored over a wide range in the recent years. We extrapolate this knowledge toward PeV energies. In the density regime on the order of 10^16 cm^-3, it is possible to consider the application of the existing NIF (or LMJ) or its extended lasers to their appropriate retrofitting for this purpose. Although the ambition of luminosity is not pursued, such energies by themselves may allow us to begin to feel and study the physics of the 'texture of vacuum'. This is an example of fundamental physics exploration without the need of luminosity paradigm. By converting accelerated electrons with extreme energies to like energy gamma photons, and let them propagate through vacuum over a sufficient distance, these extremely high energy (and therefore short wavelength) photons experience smallest vacuum structures and fluctuations. If we can measure the arrival time differential and thus the gamma photon speed as a function of different energies such as 0.1 PeV vs 1 PeV, say within attoseconds accuracy, we can collect valuable data if and how gamma photons still obeys the premise of relativity or the vacuum texture begins to alter such fundamentals. The only method currently available to look at this problem may be to study astrophysical data of the primordial gamma ray bursts (GRBs), which are compared with the presently suggested approach.