Martin Formánek, ELI Beamlines Facility, The Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC
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ABSTRACT: In this talk we will capitalize on the properties of “Flying Focus” (FF) pulses to accumulate signatures of strong field effects in laser-particle interactions. The moving focal point of an FF forms an intensity peak that can travel at any velocity, independent of the laser group velocity, over distances much longer than a Rayleigh range. This enables co-propagation of particles (typically ultra-relativistic electrons or hard photons) with the laser focus, so that they stay in the region of peak field intensity for prolonged interaction times. Recently (2018), focus propagation for tens of picoseconds was demonstrated experimentally, stimulating theoretical study of this setup. We will introduce generation methods and analytical description of FF pulses with arbitrary focal velocities and discuss experimental configurations in which the long laser-particle interaction aids high-intensity applications. Using FF pulses, we demonstrated radiation reaction energy loss accumulation, guiding of the particle beams without spreading over macroscopic distances, and accumulation of phase shift induced by vacuum birefringence. Due to the cumulative nature of strong field phenomena, the FF enables experimental access at orders of magnitude lower laser powers and intensities, compared to conventional fixed-focus setups.
BIO: Martin Formánek received his PhD in Fall 2020 in our own Physics Department where he originally relocated from Czech Republic on a Fulbright fellowship and joined the group of prof. Johann Rafelski. Since his graduation, Martin worked at Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg (Germany) as a Max Planck postdoctoral fellow with prof. Antonino Di Piazza. Currently, he holds a Marie Sklodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellowship at Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) Beamlines in Prague (Czech Republic). Martin is interested in particles and plasmas interacting with external electromagnetic fields at extreme intensities in relativistic and quantum regimes.
In-perosn only. Refreshments in PAS 218 at 2:30pm