Theoretical Investigation of Relativistic Electron Transport in Intense Laser-Matter Interaction

在啁啾脉冲放大技术的推动下，近十年来，利用强激光在物质中产生高能量密度的研究取得了巨大的进展，这种技术可以利用台式激光器产生强度高达10^17 - 10^21 W/cm 2微米的飞秒激光脉冲。当这些激光脉冲与物质相互作用时，光的电场使物质电离，并将电子加速到近光速，产生大量的电流。通过稠密等离子体的相对论电子输运的研究对于基础研究以及诸如天体物理、惯性约束聚变、射线照相和粒子加速器的离子源等应用都是非常重要的。由于所涉及的物理过程固有的复杂性，数值分析--即计算机模拟--在理解物理学和支持实验方面起着中心作用。本建议的目的是（i）通过最先进的计算机模拟方法从理论上研究稠密等离子体中的相对论电子输运，即：一个和多维粒子在细胞模型，修改，包括场和碰撞电离，以及二元碰撞，（ii）研究和帮助开发进一步的numericaltools的描述快速电子输运indense等离子体，和（iii）实际上支持正在进行的实验atlarge-scale激光设施。

The generation of high energy-density in matter with intense laserbeams has made tremendous progress in the last decade,stimulated by the development of chirped-pulse-amplification.This technique allows to create femtosecond optical laser pulses ofextreme intensities I\lambda^2 > 10^17 - 10^21 W/cm2 micrometerby table-top lasers. When such laser pulses interact with matter, thelight electric field ionizes the material and accelerates electrons tonear-light velocity, generating enourmous currents.The investigation of relativistic electron transport through denseplasma is highly relevant for basic research as well as forapplications like astrophysics, inertial confinement fusion,radiography and ion sources for particle accelerators.Due to the inherent complexity of the physical processes involved,numerical analysis -- i.e. computer simulations -- play a central rolein understanding the physics and in the support of experiments.The aims within the context of this proposal are to (i) studyrelativistic electron transport in dense plasmatheoretically by means of state-of-the-art computer simulations,ie. one- and multidimensional particle-in-cell models that aremodified to include field and collisional ionization, as well asbinary collisions, (ii) study and help to develop further numericaltools for the description of fast electron transport indense plasma, and (iii) to actually support ongoing experiments atlarge-scale laser facilities.