New laser spring offers new ways to drive plasma
Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the University of California, Irvine have designed a new high-intensity spiral laser that could revolutionise plasma control technologies. As published in Nature Photonics, the rotating, spring-shaped laser pulse can be tuned over a variety of speeds- including exceeding the speed of light without violating relativity. Traditional laser beams used to interact with plasma are limited to a single point and pace of interaction, which in turn limits findings for new developments in fusion energy, particle acceleration and astrophysics. “For a long time, people have used high-power and high-intensity laser pulses to drive plasmas,” said LLNL scientist and lead author Andrew Longman. “But those lasers are almost always in their simplest configuration. It’s basically a round spot—nothing especially interesting. It’s like hitting the plasma with a hammer. We’re interested in laser pulses that are structured in both space and time because they let us do unusual things, like stir the plasma.” Producing freeform optics down to the nanometer Using specialised beamsplitters- one containing shorter (“blue”) wavelengths and the …
