An international research group led by Professor Yasuhiko SENTOKU of Osaka University’s Institute of Laser Engineering and Dr. Yutong He of the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) co-published a study on electron-positron pair creation on 9 August 2023. UC San Diego is a strategic partner of Osaka University.

The team’s simulations demonstrated that, when interacting with the intense electromagnetic fields of the laser, dense plasma can self-organize to form a photon–photon collider. They also revealed that photon–photon collisions in the collider produce electron–positron pairs, and the positrons are accelerated by a plasma electric field created by the laser.

The outcomes of this research are expected to help experimentally confirm theories on the composition of the universe as well as lead to the generation of a positron beam to its applications.

The research results were published in the United States scientific journal Physical Review Letters.

The study can be read on the following webpages:
ResOU: https://resou.osaka-u.ac.jp/en/research/2023/20230817_1
DOI: https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.065102