Improving quantum electrodynamics description

Generate an intense electromagnetic field using a relativistic plasma mirror, in order to collide it with electrons: this is the ambition of the EXAFIELD project of Adrien Leblanc, CNRS researcherat the Laboratoire d’Optique Appliquée (Laboratory of Applied Optics, LOA*), funded by an Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC).

22 Nov. 2022

Research, Lasers, Quantique, LOA

Theory of quantum electrodynamics (QED) unifies electromagnetism and quantum physics for the description of the interaction between light and matter . In the so-called “strong field regime”, i.e. when the light intensity is sufficient for the QED effects of QED to be preponderant and observable in the laboratory, this theory remains approximative and its study is currently carried out by perturbative methods. These methods start from simplified models to which mathematical perturbations are added in order to better describe the behavior of nature at such regime. With the EXAFIELD project led by Adrien Leblanc, CNRS researcherat the Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée (Laboratory of Applied Optics, LOA*), he aims to create sufficient light intensities to reach conditions beyond the perturbative regime and thus detect stronger QED effects to improve our understanding of the QED physics in the strong field regime.

*LOA: a joint research unit of CNRS, École Polytechnique, ENSTA Paris, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Palaiseau, France

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