Violent interaction processes are the result of charged particles being subjected to laser radiation of very high intensity. As a result, particles are accelerated such that they acquire relativistic velocities within a few laser cycles, or less. The measurable behavior of matter and energy under these extreme conditions is controlled by the dynamics of these vehement processes, which this working group is studying theoretically, numerically, and experimentally.
The theoretical studies take advantage of a spectrum of mathematical approaches. They range from nonlinear dynamical systems to linear wave mechanics, with computer simulations playing a key investigative role. From the perspective of physics, the focus ranges from relativistic particle mechanics, the quantum dynamics of particles in periodic spacetime structures (generated by the laser), to the statistical mechanics of charged particle systems in laser beams parametrized by strengths that vary from the nonrelativistic to the ultra-relativistic.