Strong-field quantum electrodynamics (SF QED) is a burgeoning research topic dealing with electromagnetic fields comparable to the Schwinger field ($\approx 1.32\times {10}^{18}\mathrm{V}/\mathrm{m}$). While most past and proposed experiments rely on reaching this field in the rest frame of relativistic particles, the Schwinger limit could also be approached in the laboratory frame by focusing to its diffraction limit the light reflected by a plasma mirror irradiated by a multipetawatt laser. We explore the interaction between such intense light and matter with particle-in-cell simulations. We find that the collision with a relativistic electron beam would enable the study of the nonperturbative regime of SF QED, while the interaction with a solid target leads to a profusion of SF QED effects that retroact on the interaction. In both cases, relativistic attosecond pair jets with high densities are formed.

• Received 13 July 2023
• Accepted 18 March 2024

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.175002