The effect of nonlinear quantum electrodynamics on relativistic transparency and laser absorption in ultra-relativistic plasmas

Abstract

With the aid of large-scale three-dimensional quantum electrodynamics (QED)-particle-in-cell simulations, we describe a potential experimental configuration to measure collective effects that couple strong fieldQEDto plasma kinetics and develop a simple analytic model that describes the absorption due to radiation emission. For two counter propagating lasers interacting with a foil at intensities exceeding 1022Wcm-2, a near-binary result occurs; when quantum effects are included, a foil that classically would effectively transmit the laser pulse becomes opaque. This is a dramatic change in plasma behavior, directly as a consequence of the coupling of radiation reaction and pair production to plasma dynamics.