Laboratory realization of relativistic pair-plasma beams

C. D. Arrowsmith (), P. Simon, P. J. Bilbao, A. F. A. Bott, S. Burger, H. Chen, F. D. Cruz, T. Davenne, I. Efthymiopoulos, D. H. Froula, A. Goillot, J. T. Gudmundsson, D. Haberberger, J. W. D. Halliday, T. Hodge, B. T. Huffman, S. Iaquinta, F. Miniati, B. Reville, S. Sarkar, A. A. Schekochihin, L. O. Silva, R. Simpson, V. Stergiou, R. M. G. M. Trines, T. Vieu, N. Charitonidis, R. Bingham and G. Gregori
Additional contact information
C. D. Arrowsmith: University of Oxford
P. Simon: European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
P. J. Bilbao: Universidade de Lisboa
A. F. A. Bott: University of Oxford
S. Burger: European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
H. Chen: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
F. D. Cruz: Universidade de Lisboa
T. Davenne: STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
I. Efthymiopoulos: European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
D. H. Froula: University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics
A. Goillot: European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
J. T. Gudmundsson: University of Iceland
D. Haberberger: University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics
J. W. D. Halliday: University of Oxford
T. Hodge: University of Oxford
B. T. Huffman: University of Oxford
S. Iaquinta: University of Oxford
F. Miniati: University of Oxford
B. Reville: Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik
S. Sarkar: University of Oxford
A. A. Schekochihin: University of Oxford
L. O. Silva: Universidade de Lisboa
R. Simpson: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
V. Stergiou: University of Oxford
R. M. G. M. Trines: STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
T. Vieu: Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik
N. Charitonidis: European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
R. Bingham: STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
G. Gregori: University of Oxford

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Relativistic electron-positron plasmas are ubiquitous in extreme astrophysical environments such as black-hole and neutron-star magnetospheres, where accretion-powered jets and pulsar winds are expected to be enriched with electron-positron pairs. Their role in the dynamics of such environments is in many cases believed to be fundamental, but their behavior differs significantly from typical electron-ion plasmas due to the matter-antimatter symmetry of the charged components. So far, our experimental inability to produce large yields of positrons in quasi-neutral beams has restricted the understanding of electron-positron pair plasmas to simple numerical and analytical studies, which are rather limited. We present the first experimental results confirming the generation of high-density, quasi-neutral, relativistic electron-positron pair beams using the 440 GeV/c beam at CERN’s Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) accelerator. Monte Carlo simulations agree well with the experimental data and show that the characteristic scales necessary for collective plasma behavior, such as the Debye length and the collisionless skin depth, are exceeded by the measured size of the produced pair beams. Our work opens up the possibility of directly probing the microphysics of pair plasmas beyond quasi-linear evolution into regimes that are challenging to simulate or measure via astronomical observations.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49346-2

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