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X-ray lasers and their application in plasma physics

By: Marta Fajardo
From: Instituto Superior Técnico
At: Instituto de Investigação Interdisciplinar, Anfiteatro
[2010-11-04] 11:30

How does matter behave under conditions of extreme temperature, pressure, density, and electromagnetic fields? The pursuit of this fundamental knowledge has the potential to unveil some of the most exciting mysteries in cross-cutting fields of physics and technology, from the nature of matter at the beginning of the universe to the opacity in stellar interiors. High Energy Density Science is at the core of these questions, focusing on matter under extreme conditions of density, temperature and pressure, in the frontier between solid state and hot, diluted plasmas. The new X-ray Free Electron Lasers open a new window on nature, inaugurating the field of X-ray laser- matter interaction, with applications in Structural Biology and Material science. But the success of these applications relies on the understanding of High Energy Density matter produced by x-ray laser-plasma interaction.  In this talk, we will present X-ray Free Electron Lasers, and explain how they can be used to shed new light into High Energy Density Science.