Relativistic expansion of electron-positron-photon plasma droplets and photon emission

The expansion dynamics of hot electron-positron-photon plasma droplets is dealt with within relativistic hydrodynamics. Such droplets, envisaged to be created in future experiments by irradiating thin foils with counterpropagating ultraintense laser beams, are sources of flashes of gamma radiation. Warm electron-positron plasma droplets may be identified and characterized by a broadened 511 keV line. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3499410]