From Pfoti.Jena@t-online.de Fri Nov 15 17:28:27 2002 Return-Path: Received: from mailout03.sul.t-online.com (mailout03.sul.t-online.com [194.25.134.81]) by helios.physics.utoronto.ca (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id RAA6506817 for ; Fri, 15 Nov 2002 17:28:23 -0500 (EST) Received: from fwd06.sul.t-online.de by mailout03.sul.t-online.com with smtp id 18CowV-0000Pa-09; Fri, 15 Nov 2002 23:28:03 +0100 Received: from webmail.t-online.de (320029825639-0001@[172.18.16.210]) by fwd06.bbul.t-online.de with smtp id 18CowO-1Ri4FUC; Fri, 15 Nov 2002 23:27:56 +0100 To: Ich , "Aephraim M. Steinberg" Subject: research proposal the second From: Pfoti.Jena@t-online.de (Sebastian Pfotenhauer) Reply-To: Pfoti.Jena@t-online.de Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2002 23:27:30 +0100 (CET) Message-ID: <1037398756.3dd572e501a85@webmail.t-online.de> X-Approved: 047e001a052a6df6b0E6OgdbMb0PNRjtEaT0u2NN6r0eVYeo X-Mailer: T-Online WebMail 2.05 X-Complaints-To: abuse#webmail@t-online.com X-Sender: 320029825639-0001@t-dialin.net Status: R Sorry about the problems with the wrong format, here is the text. Research Proposal: Interactions of Matter with High Intensity Laser Fields My work will be about "interactions of matter with high intensity laser fields." Modern high energy laser systems easily achieve powers larger than Terrawatt. Furthermore, the "magical" limit of Petawatt has already been crossed by the Ti:Saph Laser of the research group centered around Mike Perry from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (although this system has already been deinstalled once again). The power magnitudes we are talking about equal to the whole amount of incident sunlight on earth focussed on an area of less than 1 mm^2. This exceeds by far the binding force between electrons and cores, and can even exceed nuclear forces. Thus one can obviously expect some interesting effects of these strong fields with matter, i.e. with solid targets as well as with gases (like air). I intend to divide the presentation into three equal parts. First, referring to the material that will be provided by the course lectures, I would like to outline how to construct a ultrashort pulse Terrawatt laser system (perhaps in connection with Petawatt projects), introducing the necessary components such as pulse compressors, amplifiers etc.. I am hoping that things like pulse shapes, propagation and the Kerr effect will already be covered by the lecture. As reference I will use the 15 TW tabletop laser system from my home university in Jena, Germany, which is supposed to be the smallest operating system of the TW class at the moment. Special effects and problems which appear when dealing with very high intensities?phenomena such as self-focussing, measurability and damaging of components?will be touched upon briefly. The second part of the paper will be a review of the basic concepts of plasma physics in connection with applied laser fields. A focus on, and explanation of, keywords like ionisation, absorption and emission on surfaces should play the main role, perhaps together with a short discussion of the influence of the ponderomotorical force on plasma oscillations (plasmons). In close connection with that, the final part of the work will deal with experiments and achieved results of the mentioned effects. I intend to discuss, for example, the Lidar/Teramobile system, which uses the first mobile TW laser to guide lightning (i.e. electrical discharging) by ionizing a "channel" through the air, or can proceed analysis of the atmosphere by watching the reactions of abundant filaments among an ionized track on the sky. Finally, future perspectives will be shown, probably including the use for chip lithography by discovering laser induced plasmas as possible sources for far UV radiation, and the everlasting dream of controlled fusion? in this particular case, the research on laser induced fusion with fast ignitors. The final extent of the paper?s individual paragraphs is not clear yet, and how many of them can actually be covered by the investigation may still be subject to change as the project progresses and becomes firmer. However, this is, at least in broad terms, the concept I propose to examine. I would be glad about some feedback concerning the material on pulse lasers that will be provided during the upcoming lectures. Are we actually supposed to hand in a paper in addition to the presentation ? Sicerely, Sebastian Pfotenhauer