Intense Gamma Ray Pulses From Ultra-Relativistic Laser-Plasma Interactions

Multi-petawatt laser systems can produce conditions where quantum electrodynamics (QED) effects are important. The effects can lead to efficient generation of gamma rays and electron-positron pairs, suggesting the possibility of generating intense beams of electrons, positrons, and gammas. This talk reviews the fundamentals of QED processes under conditions relevant to ultra-relativistic laser-plasma interactions, and highlights recent efforts to extend the scattering matrix beyond those normally employed in numerical simulations. The QED particle-in-cell approach is described, and simulations predicting copious gamma ray production are discussed. The possibility of using structured light and vector beams to drive such interactions is explored.