Zettawatt-Exawatt Lasers and Their Applications in Ultrastrong-Field Physics

Since its birth, the laser has been extraordinarily effective in the study and applications of lasermatter interaction at the atomic and molecular level and in the nonlinear optics of the bound electron. In its early life, the laser was associated with the physics of electron volts and of the chemical bond. Over the past ten years, however, we have seen a surge in our ability to produce high intensities, five to six orders of magnitude higher than was possible before. At these intensities, particles, electrons and protons acquire kinetic energy in the mega-electron-volt range through interaction with intense laser fields. This opens a new age for the laser, the age of nonlinear relativistic optics coupling even with nuclear physics. We suggest a path to reach an extremely high-intensity level 1026−28 W/cm2 in the coming decade, much beyond the current and near future intensity regime 1023 W/cm2, taking advantage of the megajoule laser facilities. Such a laser at extreme high