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- He, Y., et al.
(author)
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A single-laser scheme for observation of linear Breit-Wheeler electron-positron pair creation
- 2021
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In: New Journal of Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 1367-2630. ; 23:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We show that a single laser pulse, traveling through a dense plasma, produces a population of MeV photons of sufficient density to generate a large number of electron-positron pairs via the linear Breit-Wheeler process. While it may be expected that the photons are emitted predominantly in the forward direction, parallel to the laser propagation, we find that a longitudinal plasma electric field drives the emission of photons in the backwards direction. This enables the collision of oppositely directed, MeV-level photons necessary to overcome the mass threshold for the linear Breit-Wheeler process. Our calculations predict the production of 10(7) electron-positron pairs, per shot, by a laser with peak intensity of just 3 x 10(22) W cm(-2). By using only a single laser pulse, the scheme sidesteps the practical difficulties associated with the multiple-laser schemes previously investigated.
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