Funding for DFG research group “Probing the quantum vacuum” extended

The PULSE group leaders Prof. Stefan Karsch and Prof. Jörg Schreiber are both part of the DFG-funded research group FOR2783, initially funded in 2019. This research unit, consisting of members of the LMU Munich, FSU Jena and HHU Düsseldorf is investigating the observability of quantum vacuum effects in the high-field regime. In 6 related projects, theorists provide accurate predictions based on realistic parameters for experimentalists to plan and conduct discovery experiments of vacuum birefringence with x-ray pulses, photon-photon scattering with laser pulses and Breit-Wheeler pair production from a laser-plasma accelerator and colliding laser pulse.
In the first funding period, the PULSE members were involved in preparatory experiments for a photon-photon scattering experiment and took first steps towards the conduction of the Breit-Wheeler experiment in CALA, such as building a radiation bunker for the pair detectors, designing the collision beam delivery optics, and scaling the electron acceleration experiments to the required energy of 2 GeV. On March 28, the funding of the entire research unit was extended for another 3 years and here in CALA we will continue our preparations for both discovery experiments. More information can be found under “Research” and “Publications” as well as the joint website quantumvacuum.org.