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

Plasmas: the Next Decade

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plasma_lamp_touching.jpg

There's a large variety of Plasmas ...

[From: T.Killian, Science 316 (2007) 705]

… and an unifying viewpoint

Essential description: many-body system , dominated by collective dynamics, in most cases of interest far from thermal equilibrium

General problem: understand the coherent dynamics and self-organization of the system and achieve its control to develop applications

In principle there was the discharge tube …(Faraday, Langmuir, …)

“There are more things between cathode and anode than are dreamt in your philosophy” (H. Raether)

From: J.Reece Roth, “Industrial Plasma Engineering” (IOP, 2004)

Controlled Fusion: the story goes on...

Dr Octopus trying to control his fusion experiment in “Spiderman 2” (2004)©Marvel, Columbia Pictures

Strip image from Amazing Spider-Man, #44 ©Marvel comics

… in 2012: Ignition?

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):

ESA/Cluster: --2014 NASA/Themis: 2007-- NASA/MMS: 2014-- ESA/SolarOrbiter: 2017-- ESA/SolarProbePlus: 2018--

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,

Università di Pisa

Selected Publications from “Pisa School”, 2008-2011Space Plasmas (theory):- F.Valentini, F.Califano, D.Perrone, F.Pegoraro, P.Veltri, Phys.Rev.Lett., in press- F.Valentini, F.Califano, P.Veltri, Phys.Rev.Lett. 104, 205002 (2010) - M.Faganello, F.Califano, F.Pegoraro, Phys.Rev.Lett. 100, 015001 (2008); ibid. 101, 105001 (2008); ibid. 101, 175003 (2008);

Magnetic Fusion Plasmas (theory & experiment):- A.Biancalani, L.Chen, F.Pegoraro, F.Zonca, Phys.Rev.Lett. 105, 095002 (2010)- M.W.Binderbauer et al. (the TAE Team) Phys.Rev.Lett. 105, 045003 (2010) [inc. F.Brandi, F.Ceccherini, L.Galeotti, F.Giammanco, P.Marsili, F.Pegoraro]

Laser Ion Acceleration (theory):- A.Macchi, S.Veghini, F.Pegoraro, Phys.Rev.Lett. 103, 085003 (2009);- S.Bulanov et al, Phys.Rev.Lett. 104, 135003 (2010) [inc. F.Pegoraro]

Laser-Plasma Dynamics (experiment & theory):- S.Kar et al, Phys.Rev.Lett. 100, 225004 (2008) [inc. M.Borghesi, A.Macchi, L.Romagnani] - L.Romagnani et al, Phys.Rev.Lett. 105, 175002 (2010) [inc. A.Bigongiari, C.Cecchetti, M.Galimberti, A.Macchi, F.Pegoraro, M.Borghesi]- K.Quinn et al, Phys.Rev.Lett. 102, 194801 (2009) [inc. C.Cecchetti, A.Macchi, M.Borghesi]

X- and γ-ray emission from laser-plasma interaction (experiment)

- F.Zamponi et al, Phys.Rev.Lett. 105, 085001 (2010) [inc. A.Giulietti, P.Köster, L.Labate, T.Levato, L.Gizzi]- A. Giulietti et al, Phys.Rev.Lett. 101, 105002 (2008) [inc. T.Ceccotti, M.Galimberti, A.Gamucci, D.Giulietti, L.Gizzi, L.Labate, G.Sarri, P.Tomassini]