Generation of Ultrahigh Light Intensities and Relativistic Laser-Matter Interaction

Modern technologies allow the amplification of short laser pulses to energies of some tens of kJ. Additionally, ultrashort pulses containing only some optical cycles can be generated. By merging these techniques nowadays focused laser beams can reach unprecedented intensities in the range of 1021 W/cm2 and will reach even higher ones in the near future. At these intensities the electric and magnetic field strength is many orders of magnitude higher than those that will ever possible in a static generation scheme. By applying these fields on a target it becomes possible to get access to a new interaction regime of light and matter: relativistic optics. This opens a new wide area in experimental science where classical optics meets plasma dynamics, relativistic quantum mechanics, and high energy physics.