Limitations on the attainable intensity of high power lasers

A.M. Fedotov (1) , N.B. Narozhny (1) , Gérard Mourou (2) , G. Korn (3)

1 The National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) [Moscow, Russia]
2 ILE - Institut de la Lumiére Extrême
3 MPQ - Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik

It is shown that even a single e-e+ pair created by a superstrong laser field in vacuum would cause development of an avalanchelike QED cascade which rapidly depletes the incoming laser pulse. This confirms Bohr's old conjecture that the electric field of the critical QED strength ES=m2c3/e could never be created. © 2010 The American Physical Society.

Domaines: Optique [physics.optics]

A.M. Fedotov, N.B. Narozhny, Gérard Mourou, G. Korn. Limitations on the attainable intensity of high power lasers. Physical Review Letters, 2010, 105 (8), ⟨10.1103/physrevlett.105.080402⟩. ⟨hal-00838484⟩