Phys.org  September 28, 2021 After theoretical and computer modeling studies an international team of researchers (France, USA – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) proposed a scheme to explore regimes of strong-field quantum electrodynamics (SF QED) otherwise unattainable with the currently available laser technology. The scheme relies on relativistic plasma mirrors curved by radiation pressure to boost the intensity of petawatt-class laser pulses by Doppler effect and focus them to extreme field intensities. They showed that very clear SF QED signatures could be observed by placing a secondary target where the boosted beam is focused. This may finally crack the elusive physics […]