Back to Search Start Over

From linear to nonlinear Breit-Wheeler pair production in laser-solid interactions

Authors :
Song, Huai-Hang
Wang, Wei-Min
Chen, Min
Sheng, Zheng-Ming
Source :
Phys. Rev. E 109, 035204 (2024)
Publication Year :
2023

Abstract

During the ultraintense laser interaction with solids (overdense plasmas), the competition between two possible quantum electrodynamics (QED) mechanisms responsible for $e^\pm$ pair production, i.e., linear and nonlinear Breit-Wheeler (BW) processes, remains to be studied. Here, we have implemented the linear BW process via a Monte Carlo algorithm into the QED particle-in-cell (PIC) code YUNIC, enabling us to self-consistently investigate both pair production mechanisms in the plasma environment. By a series of 2D QED-PIC simulations, the transition from the linear to the nonlinear BW process is observed with the increase of laser intensities in the typical configuration of a linearly polarized laser interaction with solid targets. A critical normalized laser amplitude about $a_0\sim$ 400-500 is found under a large range of preplasma scale lengths, below which the linear BW process dominates over the nonlinear BW process. This work provides a practicable technique to model linear QED processes via integrated QED-PIC simulations. Moreover, it calls for more attention to be paid to linear BW pair production in near future 10-PW-class laser-solid interactions.<br />Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures

Details

Database :
arXiv
Journal :
Phys. Rev. E 109, 035204 (2024)
Publication Type :
Report
Accession number :
edsarx.2312.10731
Document Type :
Working Paper
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.109.035204