The research of ultra-strong and ultra-short laser pointer has promoted the development and development of a group of basic and cutting-edge interdisciplinary subjects such as laser science, atomic and molecular physics, plasma physics, high-energy physics and nuclear physics. At the same time, it will also provide the theoretical basis and scientific basis for the innovative development of related strategic high-tech fields, such as high-brightness new-band coherent light sources, ultra-high gradient high-energy particle accelerators, strong field laser nuclear medicine, fusion energy, and precision measurement. It has an irreplaceable and powerful driving role.
1. Research antimatter
Each particle has an antiparticle opposite to it. Theory holds that antimatter will be annihilated as long as it meets positive matter. Therefore, it is difficult to produce and preserve. At present, it is difficult for scientists to find antimatter in the universe, and try to obtain it under the extreme conditions of the laboratory. This has also become a hot and difficult point in the field of physics.
The first successful use of an ultra-strong ultra-short laser to produce an antimatter—ultra-fast positron source in 2016—this discovery will be important in the fields of nondestructive detection of materials, laser-driven positron-electron colliders, and cancer diagnostic technology Application, and selected into the top ten scientific and technological progress news of 2016.
2. Miniature free electron laser
New concept of miniaturized free electron laser driven by ultra-strong ultra-short laser: the ultra-strong ultra-short laser interacts with a "hairline" sized micro metal wire, while generating high-energy electron beams, it is skillfully constructed using the charge separation effect The miniature and transient electronic wave oscillator has obtained strong terahertz radiation with an efficiency that is more than 10 times higher than that of the traditional scheme. It also proposes a new scheme for miniaturized and low-cost free electron lasers.
3. Research on electron acceleration of coda wave field. In 2011, the State Key Laboratory of Strong Field red laser pointer Physics first used the ionized injection of the all-light-driven dual-coupling field cascade electron accelerator solution, and successfully achieved the separation and control of the two basic physical processes of electron injection and electron acceleration.
The experiment yielded breakthrough research results such as a quasi-single-energy electron beam with an energy close to GeV and an ultra-high acceleration gradient of 187 GV / m. This will be a feasible solution to achieve high-performance single-energy electron beams of 10 GeV or higher in the future, especially for the development of desktop X-ray free electron lasers and other fields.
4. Proton imaging
As a means of density diagnosis, proton photography can use differential cutoff and scattering to display the static or dynamic density changes of the sample. It is currently the only method to detect the electromagnetic field in the plasma. In the past few years, proton photography technology has been widely used, and the data of the instantaneous field has been successfully detected in experiments.
The Pavo laser system upgraded by the State Key Laboratory of Strong Field Laser Physics has been able to successfully generate proton beams above 10 MeV, and successfully used the femtosecond Pavo laser system to image protons of dragonflies. This is also the first time that the Laser Engraver system has achieved a clear imaging of dragonflies by narrowing the object distance, and obtained an equal-scale overall imaging of dragonflies with a resolution of the order of microns.
5. Find dark matter
"Dark matter" is likened to "dark clouds shrouded in the 21st century physics sky." Its existence is confirmed by the law of gravity, but it has never been directly detected. Scientists estimate that the universe contains 5% of ordinary matter, and the remaining 95% is invisible dark matter and dark energy. Uncovering the mystery of dark matter will push mankind to explain the existence and evolution of the universe. Axe is one of the important candidates for dark matter. Because it hardly interacts with other substances, it has not been observed so far. However, the super-strong electromagnetic field provided by the super-power laser may become a scientific method for detecting axons.
6. Explore the mysteries of vacuum
Is the vacuum really empty? In the classic physics concept, it is indeed empty, but quantum electrodynamics (QED) predicts that a vacuum is not empty, quantum fluctuations are everywhere, and virtual particle pairs are constantly generated and disappear. The mysterious characteristics of vacuum are the most exciting predictions of QED. The laser intensity in the future will be as high as 10 ^ 23-25 watts / square centimeter. The super strong light field can excite the QED characteristics of vacuum and make the vacuum possess material properties! The combination of ultra-strong ultra-short lasers and high-energy photon sources will give mankind the first opportunity to peep into the mysteries of vacuum. Any one of these discoveries will be historic.
7. Laser Lightning Research
The use of ultra-strong and ultra-short lasers to carry out lightning control application research has been highly valued by many countries in the world. The State Key Laboratory of Strong Field Laser Physics is one of the first few domestic institutions to carry out relevant research. Based on the previous research basis, the researchers in this laboratory observed the phenomenon of laser-induced corona discharge for the first time in experiments and carried out in-depth research on this discovery. This achievement provides an important scientific basis for in-depth understanding of the development and evolution of the high-voltage electric field along the optical fiber, and ultimately the realization of laser-controlled lightning.
The establishment and development of ultra-strong ultra-short laser light sources and their extensive frontier applications are of great significance. By studying the structure, motion and interaction of materials under extreme physical conditions, human beings can have a deeper and more systematic understanding of the laws of the objective world. It can be seen that the establishment and development of ultra-strong ultra-short laser light sources and their extensive frontier applications are of great significance.