Multi-Physics Modeling of Intense, Short-Pulse Laser-Plasma Interactions

该奖项支持一个项目，该项目侧重于开发适用于详细研究等离子体相空间动力学的新型多物理模拟工具。这些工具将用于优化激光等离子体设备产生高质量多GeV电子束的过程。对相空间过程的清楚和完整的理解为操纵相空间和更好地控制高能量密度物理现象打开了大门。强激光等离子体相互作用的许多技术应用，如紧凑型下一代光源，对光束质量有严格的限制，超过了目前可用的限制。这项研究的结果有望推动这些技术的发展，最终在广泛的领域得到应用。需要解决的主要问题是，现有的关于强激光驱动的大幅度等离子体波中捕获粒子的过程的理论理解是不完整的，正如在各种实验中所看到的那样。为了改善这一点，对工作机制的相空间水平的理解是必不可少的。目前的实验通常依赖于激光-等离子体系统的自由演化，即将激光脉冲带到目标上，并允许系统在没有后续干预的情况下进行演化。最近的实验结果提供了一个诱人的一瞥，展示了定制相空间以产生可利用的特征的巨大前景。要实现这些进展，需要对这些系统的相空间动力学有一个基本的理解。高能量密度物理学作为一个新的物理前沿正在崭露头角；极端条件下的完全电离物质(等离子体)是一个令人兴奋的新物理学的来源。亚皮秒、拍瓦级激光的出现揭开了相对论激光等离子体相互作用超快物理学的新篇章。现在正在产生厘米长的相对论等离子体，并观察到一些新的、鲜为人知的现象。这使得开发新的理论框架和计算方法至关重要。实验和理论研究的结合正在使人们对复杂的等离子体过程有新的理解，这种过程可能发生，并且无疑将在医学、结构稳定性/安全和国土安全方面具有重要的实际应用。拟议的研究结果将广泛传播。在该项目期间产生的整个计算数据集将被存档，并通过一个基于网络的界面向公众提供。档案的访问者可以搜索数据库、检查任何数据集、创建数据的可视化、对数据集执行各种诊断以及下载原始数据。在该项目期间开发的计算机代码一般将向公众公布。此外，所有算法及其实现，包括完整的源代码文档，将在PI的研究小组的网站上公开提供。这项研究与教育的结合将通过激励和改善本科生和研究生的教学来实现。来自代表性不足群体的高中生也将被招募参加暑期研究项目。

This award supports a project focusing on the development of novel multi-physics simulation tools suitable for detailed studies of phase-space dynamics of plasmas. These tools will be used to optimize the generation of high-quality multi-GeV electron beams by laser-plasma devices. Clear and complete understanding of phase-space processes opens the door to the manipulation of phase space and to greater control over high-energy-density-physics phenomena. Many of the technological applications of intense-laser plasma interactions, such as compact, next-generation light sources, have stringent limits on beam quality that exceed what is currently available. The results of this study are expected to advance the development of these technologies, having ultimate applications in a wide range of fields. The main problem to be addressed is that the existing theoretical understanding of the processes leading to trapped particles in large amplitude plasma waves driven by intense lasers, as seen in various experiments, is incomplete. To improve this, a phase-space level understanding of the mechanisms at work is essential. Current experiments typically rely on the free evolution of the laser-plasma system, i.e., a laser pulse is brought to a target and the system is allowed to evolve without subsequent intervention. Recent experimental results provide a tantalizing glimpse of the great promise of tailoring phase space to produce exploitable features. Realizing these advances requires a first principles understanding of the phase-space dynamics of these systems. High energy density physics is coming to prominence as a new physics frontier; fully ionized matter (plasma) under extreme conditions is a source of exciting new physics. The advent of sub-picosecond, petawatt-class lasers opens a new chapter in ultrafast physics of relativistic laser plasma interactions. Centimeter-long relativistic plasmas are now being produced, and new, poorly understood phenomena are being observed. This makes the development of new theoretical frameworks and computational approaches essential. A combination of experimental and theoretical research is leading to new understanding of the complex plasma processes that can occur and will no doubt have significant practical applications to medicine, structural stability/safety, and homeland security. The results of the proposed research will be disseminated widely. The entire computational data set produced during this project will be archived and made publicly available through a web-based interface. Visitors to the archive can search the database, examine any of the data sets, create visualizations of the data, perform various diagnostics on the data sets as well as download raw data. The computer codes developed during this project will generally be made publicly available. Additionally all of the algorithms and their implementations, including full source code documentation, will be made publicly available on the PI's research group's web site. Integration of this research with education will be accomplished through motivation and improved teaching of undergraduate and graduate students. High school students from underrepresented groups also will be recruited to participate in summer research projects.