Description
The use of high-power lasers enables the generation of γ-photon beams via multiphoton Compton scattering in the regime of strong-field quantum electrodynamics (SFQED) [1], which been observed in Refs. [2,3]. A high conversion efficiency of γ-photon generation has been predicted using numerical simulations [4–7] and has been recently demonstrated in experiment [8].
In this work, we present, through 3D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, a regime where, under oblique laser incidence, a collimated γ-photon beam is emitted parallel to the target surface [5]. This process arises from the interference pattern in the electromagnetic field, created by the interaction of the incident and reflected laser pulses. The resulting electromagnetic field accelerates electrons to GeV energy levels while simultaneously directing their momentum along the target surface. As a result, the electrons emit a collimated γ-photon beam in the same direction.
The robustness of this scheme has been demonstrated across various laser and target parameters, including pulse power, duration, target thickness, and preplasma conditions [5]. The simulation results have also been visualized in virtual reality [6]. Recently, we have applied this mechanism to channel-like (tubular) targets and demonstrated a significant increase in γ-photon yield along the same emission direction [11].
[1] A. Gonoskov et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 94, 045001 (2022), DOI
[2] C. Bamber et al., Physical Review D 60, 092004 (1999), DOI
[3] M. Mirzaie et al. Nat. Photon. 18, 1212–1217 (2024), DOI
[4] C. P. Ridgers et al., Physical Review Letters 108, 165006 (2012), DOI
[5] T. Nakamura et al., Physical Review Letters 108, 195001 (2012), DOI
[6] K. V. Lezhnin et al., Physics of Plasmas 25, 123105 (2018), DOI
[7] P. Hadjisolomou et al., Physics of Plasmas 30, 093103 (2023), DOI
[8] A. S. Pirozhkov et al, arXiv:2410.06537 (2024), DOI
[9] M. Matys et al., New Journal of Physics 27 033018 (2025), DOI
[10] M. Matys et al., Photonics 12, 436 (2025), DOI
[11] M. Matys et al., In preparation (2025)
