Quantum regime of laser-matter interactions at extreme intensities

TL;DR

This paper surveys the different regimes of laser-matter interactions at extreme intensities, focusing on process scalings, cascade phenomena, and the limits of the Intense Field QED approach at ultrarelativistic energies.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of physical parameters and regimes, highlighting new insights into cascade dynamics and the potential breakdown of existing quantum electrodynamics models.

Findings

Scaling laws for basic process probabilities derived

Self-sustained cascades may dominate at next-gen laser intensities

Potential breakdown of Intense Field QED at ultrarelativistic energies

Abstract

A survey of physical parameters and of a ladder of various regimes of laser-matter interactions at extreme intensities is given. Special emphases is made on three selected topics: (i) qualitative derivation of the scalings for probability rates of the basic processes; (ii) self-sustained cascades (which may dominate at the intensity levels attainable with next generation laser facilities); and (iii) possibility of breaking down the Intense Field QED approach for ultrarelativistic electrons and high-energy photons at certain intensity level.