Andrea MACCHI CNR/INO, Pisa and Dipartimento di Fisica “Enrico Fermi”, Università di Pisa www.df.unipi.it/~macchi “Congressino” del Dipartimento di Fisica, Pisa, April 11, 2011 Plasmas: the Next Decade commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Plasma_lamp_touching.jpg
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Plasmas: the Next Decade · Plasmas and Numerical Simulations Plasma physics offers key and challenging projects for ... Simulation of laser-plasma EXperiments” (A.Macchi) Laser-Matter
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Andrea MACCHICNR/INO, PisaandDipartimento di Fisica “Enrico Fermi”, Università di Pisa
www.df.unipi.it/~macchi
“Congressino” del Dipartimento di Fisica,Pisa, April 11, 2011
Glenzer et al., Science 327 (2010) 1228; Kline et al. Phys.Rev.Lett. 106 (2011) 085003; Glenzer et al. ibid.,085004.
First results from Laser-Driven Inertial Confinement Fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility (USA) (lasers.llnl.gov)show scaling of “hohlraum” heating consistent with reaching ignition (fusion energy = input energy)of D-T pellet (expected in 2012)
More ignition experiments to come
Inertial Confinement : HiPER (hiper-laser.org)an European Infrastructure just re-oriented to “Shock Ignition” (an innovative ignition scheme)preparatory phase until 2013
Magnetic Confinement :
ITER (iter.org)Tokamak under construction in Cadarache (F)(will be largest machine ever built)by a worldwide collaboration
IGNITORa smaller, high magnetic field Tokamakproposed by B.Coppinow an Italian-Russian projectendorsed by Italy as “progetto bandiera”starting now...
An advanced confinement experiment
Binderbauer et al. (the TAE Team)* Phys. Rev. Lett. 105 (2010) 045003*featuring people from DF(collaboration since 2005):Diagnostics: F.Brandi, F.Giammanco, P. MarsiliTheory & simulations:F.Ceccherini, L.Galeotti, F.Pegoraro
Record lifetime for a Field-Reversed Configuration,an alternative geometry for magnetic fusion, interesting foraneutronic fuels, and other plasma physics studies
Tri Alpha Energy, Inc. is a private research company fully sponsored by shareholders
Forecasting the Space Weather
Wealth of data on Solar Wind from Space Missions (near-Earth, near-Sun):
Quest for advanced modeling of space plasma dynamics to support observations:Working package leadership of the Pisa group for theory and simulationin the FP7 programme “SWIFF”(giving several opportunities for PhD & PostDoc positions)
contact: F. Califano
sec.gsfc.nasa.gov/popscise.jpg
Plasmas and Numerical Simulations
Plasma physics offers key andchallenging projects for supercomputing(e.g. 2 over 10 starting projects for the Petaflop ROADRUNNER)
“Plasma physics is just waiting for bigger computers”
Projects managed by researchers @ DF:
VLASOV 3D3V – european DEISA project (F.Califano)
ISCRA Italian projects, e.g.TOFUSEX - “TOwards FUll-Scale Simulation of laser-plasma EXperiments”(A.Macchi)
Laser-Matter Interactions: Extreme Intensities
Plasma is the “only” state of matter in such fields!
“Relativistic” plasmaproduced routinely
Superintense Lasers for Everybody
European Project ELI (2015--)(extreme-light-infrastructure.eu): “distributed” facility with four sites:- “Beamlines” (CR): laser-driven electron, ion and hard photon beams- “Attosecond” (H): ultrafast laser physics- “Nuclear Physics” (RO): laser-based
gamma-source to control nuclear reactions - “Ultra High-Field” (?): 200 PW, 15 fs pulse for intensities >1023 W/cm2
First ever world-class laser in Italy (300 TW, 20 fs):FLAME at Frascati INFN laboratoriesfor research on laser-driven radiation sourcesand applications (PLASMON-X and LI2FE projects)in collaboration with CNR/INOcontact: D. Giulietti
Laser-Plasma Accelerators
Great progress and discoveries in the last decade(GeV-electrons, multi MeV-ions, enhanced monoenergeticity and brilliance, new regimes …)Peculiar properties: large number of particles, ultrashort duration, very low emittance, ..
BUT: requirements for most of foreseen applications(high-energy physics, medicine, fusion, …)have yet to come: higher energy, narrower spectra,better reproducibility, higher repetition rate ...
FIRB Project running in Pisa: “SUuperintense Laser-Driven Ion Sources” (SULDIS.org)
Contact: A.Macchi
Towards the Ultimate Fields Goal: increase EM energy density to approach the QED Schwinger field
Ecr=m
e
2c3/eħ corresponding to I>1029 W/cm2
to probe “exotic effects”: radiation friction, Unruh effect, vacuum breaking...
Strategy: use the plasma as an active optical medium - “Moving mirrors” to increase laser frequency and intensity (“Relativistic Engineering”)- Plasma shaping for focusing and field enhancement (also to boost effects atlow-intensity: “High Field Plasmonics”)
New theory and simulation models are needed on the road to extreme regimes[see e.g. Tamburini et al, New.J.Phys. 12 (2010) 123005]
“Flying Mirrors” for “Light Intensification towards the Schwinger Limit”S.Bulanov et al, PRL 91 (2003) 85001
And finally, Back to the Discharge...
Low-temperature discharge plasmas are the basis for many technological and industrial applications: - light sources- electronics (plasma displays)- space propulsion- semiconductor etching for microcircuit production- nanofabrication- surface chemistry: industrial processing of textile or plastic materials - medical applications, sterilization- waste treatment and fuel recovery by plasma cracking- …
Apart from funding opportunities these applications may offer interesting problems
Images selected by T.Andreussi,Dipartimento Ingegneria Aerospaziale,