P3: An installation for high-energy density plasma physics and ultra-high intensity laser–matter interaction at ELI-Beamlines

• Published in: Matter and Radiation at Extremes 2017-07, Vol.2 (4), p.149-176
• Main Authors: Weber, S., Bechet, S., Borneis, S., Brabec, L., Bučka, M., Chacon-Golcher, E., Ciappina, M., DeMarco, M., Fajstavr, A., Falk, K., Garcia, E.-R., Grosz, J., Gu, Y.-J., Hernandez, J.-C., Holec, M., Janečka, P., Jantač, M., Jirka, M., Kadlecova, H., Khikhlukha, D., Klimo, O., Korn, G., Kramer, D., Kumar, D., Lastovička, T., Lutoslawski, P., Morejon, L., Olšovcová, V., Rajdl, M., Renner, O., Rus, B., Singh, S., Šmid, M., Sokol, M., Versaci, R., Vrána, R., Vranic, M., Vyskočil, J., Wolf, A., Yu, Q.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: High repetition rate lasers; High-energy-density-physics; Inertial confinement fusion; Laboratory astrophysics; Laser–plasma interaction; Plasma optics; Relativistic plasmas; Ultra-high-intensity; Warm dense matter
• ISSN: 2468-080X; 2468-2047; 2468-080X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mre.2017.03.003

ELI-Beamlines (ELI-BL), one of the three pillars of the Extreme Light Infrastructure endeavour, will be in a unique position to perform research in high-energy-density-physics (HEDP), plasma physics and ultra-high intensity (UHI) (>1022W/cm2) laser–plasma interaction. Recently the need for HED laboratory physics was identified and the P3 (plasma physics platform) installation under construction in ELI-BL will be an answer. The ELI-BL 10 PW laser makes possible fundamental research topics from high-field physics to new extreme states of matter such as radiation-dominated ones, high-pressure quantum ones, warm dense matter (WDM) and ultra-relativistic plasmas. HEDP is of fundamental importance for research in the field of laboratory astrophysics and inertial confinement fusion (ICF). Reaching such extreme states of matter now and in the future will depend on the use of plasma optics for amplifying and focusing laser pulses. This article will present the relevant technological infrastructure being built in ELI-BL for HEDP and UHI, and gives a brief overview of some research under way in the field of UHI, laboratory astrophysics, ICF, WDM, and plasma optics.