SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Particle acceleration in high-energy-density plasmas: from astrophysics to the laboratory
The acceleration of particles in plasmas is critical for our understanding of explosive astrophysical phenomena, from solar flares to gamma ray bursts. It can also play an important role in the development of compact accelerators for applications that range from fusion to medical imaging and tumor therapy. Particle acceleration is thought to be mediated by collisionless shocks, sheaths, magnetic reconnection, and turbulence. The microphysics underlying these processes and their ability to efficiently convert flow and magnetic energy into non-thermal particles, however, is not yet fully understood. I will discuss how the combination of kinetic plasma simulations and controlled high-power laser-plasma experiments is opening a unique window for the exploration of the microphysics of particle acceleration in plasmas. By performing for the first time ab initio 3D particle-in-cell simulations of the interaction of both magnetized and unmagnetized laser-driven plasmas, it is now possible to identify the optimal parameters for the study of particle acceleration in the laboratory relevant to astrophysical scenarios and other applications. These results provide important constrains on the experimental setups and diagnostics to probe the microphysics of plasma particle acceleration and pave the way for the first observation of these important processes in the laboratory. As a result of these simulations and theoretical analysis, there are new experiments being planned on the Omega, NIF, and LCLS laser facilities to test these theoretical predictions.