Abstract
Recent years have witnessed tremendous progress in our understanding of the cosmos, which in turn points to even deeper questions to be further addressed. Concurrently the laser technology has undergone dramatic revolutions, providing exciting opportunity for science applications. History has shown that the symbiosis between direct observations and laboratory investigation is instrumental in the progress of astrophysics. We believe that this remains true in cosmology. Current frontier phenomena related to particle astrophysics and cosmology typically involve one or more of the following conditions: (1) extremely high energy events;(2) very high density, high temperature processes; (3) super strong field environments. Laboratory experiments using high intensity lasers can calibrate astrophysical observations, investigate underlying dynamics of astrophysical phenomena, and probe fundamental physics in extreme limits. In this article we give an overview of the exciting prospect of laser cosmology. In particular, we showcase its unique capability of investigating frontier cosmology issues such as cosmic accelerator and quantum gravity.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
M. Turner, ed., Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century (US National Academics Press, 2003)
P. Chen, AAPPS Bull. 13, 3 (2003)
A. Ciardi, Jets from Young Stars IV, 31 (2010) [arXiv:0903.0268]
D.W. Savin, et al., Laboratory Astrophysics White Paper (based on the 2010 NASA Laboratory Astrophysics Workshop in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, 25–28 Oct. 2010), [arXiv:1103.1341]
R.P. Drake, High Energy Density Physics: Fundamentals, Inertial Fusion, and Experimental Astrophysics (Springer-Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg, 2006)
T.Zh. Esirkepov, S.V. Bulanov [arXiv:1202.4552]
A.D. Strickland, G.A. Mourou, Optics Comm. 55, 447 (1985)
S.-W. Bahk, et al., Opt. Lett. 29, 2837 (2004)
P. Chen, C. Pellegrini, “Boiling the Vacuum with Ultra-Intense Lasers”, in Quantum Aspects of Beam Physics, edited by P. Chen (World Scientific, 1999), p. 571
G. Mourou, W. Brocklesby, T. Tajima, J. Limpert, Nature Photon. 7, 258 (2013)
S.W. Hawking, Nature 248, 30 (1974)
W. Unruh, Phys. Rev. D 14, 870 (1976)
P. Chen, T. Tajima, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 256 (1999)
E. Fermi, Phys. Rev. 75, 1169 (1949)
E. Fermi, ApJ 119, 1 (1954)
W.I. Axford, E. Leer, G. Skadron, in Proc. 15th ICRC (Plovdic) 11, 132 (1977)
G.F. Krymsky, Dokl. Acad. Nauk. SSR 234, 1306 (1977)
A.R. Bell, Mon. Not. R. Ast. Soc. 182, 147 (1978)
R.D. Blandford, J.F. Ostriker, ApJ 221, L29 (1978)
R.D. Blandford, Phys. Scripta T85, 191 (2000)
P. Chen, T. Tajima, Y. Takahashi, Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 161101 (2002)
T. Tajima, J.M. Dawson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 43, 267 (1979)
P. Chen, J.M. Dawson, R.W. Huff, T. Katsouleas, Phys. Rev. Lett. 54, 693 (1985)
F.Y. Chang, P. Chen, G.L. Lin, R.J. Noble, R. Sydora, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 111101 (2009)
M. Hoshino, Astrophys. J. 672, 940 (2008)
T. Ebisuzaki, T. Tajima [arXiv:1306.0970] (2013)
R. Schutzhold, G. Schaller, D. Habs, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 121302 (2006)
J. Doukas, S.-Y. Lin, B.L. Hu, R.B. Mann, JHEP11, 119 (2013) [arXiv:1307.4360]
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chen, P. Laser cosmology. Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 223, 1121–1129 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2014-02163-5
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2014-02163-5