Physics of Extremely Strong Electromagnetic Field: Status and Prospects

The development of laser and accelerator technologies has made it possible to generate extremely strong electromagnetic (EM) fields with a strength several orders of magnitude higher than that of the atomic field. The review discusses the processes that play a key role in extremely strong EM fields, and new “quantum-electrodynamic” plasma states. Schemes aimed at generating extremely strong EM fields in laboratory conditions are described. These schemes can be conditionally divided into three groups: (i) all-optical schemes, (ii) laser-beam schemes, and (iii) schemes based on the interaction of charged particle beams. Much attention is paid to the XCELS project, the main objective of which is to study both fundamental processes of extremely high-intensity laser interaction with matter and possible applications associated with this interaction.