Ultrafast Strong-Field Physics in Laser-Solid Plasma Interactions
by
Open Area (4F-SW)
Tsung-Dao Lee Institute
Host: Yipeng Wu
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Abstract:
The interaction between intense lasers and solid-density plasmas represents a frontier research topic at the intersection of ultrafast optics and high-energy-density physics, spanning timescales from attoseconds to picoseconds and exhibiting rich dynamics and radiation. During the initial stage, the laser field drives sub-cycle electron dynamics at the target surface, producing attosecond electron pulses whose spatiotemporal distribution reveals key transient processes such as sheath field evolution and electron injection. This also triggers intense electromagnetic radiation, including high-order harmonic X-rays and terahertz waves, with spectra shaped by surface nanostructure and plasma gradients. On longer femtosecond to picosecond scales, intense electron beams excite self-generated magnetic fields—such as through the Biermann battery effect or Weibel instability—reaching kilotesla strengths and driving collisionless shocks. These processes critically influence subsequent energy transport, electron scattering, and ion acceleration. The research deepens understanding of extreme laser-matter interactions and provides a platform for attosecond science, novel radiation sources, and laboratory astrophysics, with continued potential in radiation efficiency, magnetic control, and multi-scale coupling.
Biography:
Bai Yafeng, whose research specializes in ultrafast physics within the context of intense laser-matter interactions, has achieved significant advances in electron beam control, radiation source physics, and novel magnetic field effects induced by high-intensity lasers. His research results have been selected for China's Top 10 Optical Breakthroughs multiple times, and he has authored a series of influential papers published in leading journals including Nature, Nature Photonics, and Nature Communications etc. He is also a member of the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and has been selected for the 8th Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by the China Association for Science and Technology.
