Speaker
Description
Laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) has rapidly advanced since its original proposal by Tajima and Dawson [1], offering accelerating gradients exceeding 100 GV/m—three orders of magnitude higher than conventional radio-frequency accelerators. Using ultra-intense femtosecond laser pulses to drive plasma waves in underdense media, LWFA enables the production of multi-GeV electron beams within meter-scale distances [2,3]. These compact accelerators are opening pathways to a broad range of applications. In photon science, LWFA-driven beams can power compact X-ray free-electron lasers, enabling ultrafast structural dynamics studies [4]. In medicine and industry, betatron and bremsstrahlung sources provide routes toward advanced imaging and radiotherapy [5]. Beyond these, the extreme intensities accessible with LWFA-accelerated electrons and secondary radiation have positioned the field at the frontier of strong-field quantum electrodynamics (QED) research, where phenomena such as nonlinear Compton scattering and electron–positron pair creation can be probed [6]. Recent progress, including experimental demonstrations of laser–plasma platforms for strong-field physics [7], highlights LWFA’s dual role as both a compact accelerator technology and a unique tool for exploring fundamental physics under extreme conditions. While challenges remain in improving beam quality, stability, and repetition rate, the rapid pace of development suggests that LWFA may soon complement conventional accelerators across science, medicine, and high-energy physics.
This talk will focus on the recent progress in applications of multi-GeV electron accelerated by the CoReLS multi-PW laser pulse conducting strong-field QED research, and will conclude with a brief outlook on future directions.
This work was supported by the Institute for Basic Science grant No. IBS-R038-D1.
References
[1] T. Tajima and J. M. Dawson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 43, 267 (1979).
[2] B. Miao et al. Phys. Rev. X 12, 031038 (2022).
[3] A. Picksley et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 255001 (2024).
[4] R. Pompili et al. Nat. 605, 659-662 (2022).
[5] H. Yun, LJ. Bae, M. Mirzaie, HT. Kim, Rev. Mod. Plasma Phys. 9,1,13 (2025).
[6] A. Di Piazza et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 84, 1177 (2012).
[7] M. Mirzaie et al., Nat. Photonics 18, 1042–1048 (2024).