Scientific Report on
International Workshop
Novel Light Sources from Laser-Plasma Interaction

The last decade has witnessed an explosion of activity in the development of novel radiation sources based on laser-plasma interaction (LPI), fueled by the wide availability of high-power lasers, with many promising applications. The workshop Novel Light Sources from Laser-Plasma Interaction (NLIGHT15) brought together theorists and experimentalists working across a wide range of topics in this area.

The workshop aimed at triggering exchanges among experts on different subjects. To achieve this goal the workshop program was centered around seven main topics and an 1h30 overview talk (including 30 minutes of discussion) was given by a senior scientist for each topic. The first day of the workshop was devoted to X-ray and X-FEL sources from LPI and an overview talk was given by Prof. W. Leemans (Berkeley). The overview talk provided an introduction to Laser Wakefield Acceleration and its use to drive free electron lasers and Thomson-based γ-ray sources. The second day morning session was devoted to parametric amplification of short pulses. Prof. N. Fisch (Princeton) gave a tutorial talk that covered the topic of Raman amplification as a route towards extreme light intensities. In the afternoon session Prof. Luis Silva (Lisbon) covered the topic of γ-ray sources and QED processes with an emphasis on computational modeling of such processes. The third day of the workshop was devoted to pump-probe experiments and applications of LPI sources and took place at the Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf (HZDR). Prof. H. Chapman (Hamburg) gave an introduction on the imaging of molecules with X-ray free-electron laser pulses, covering the latest advances on femtosecond crystallography. A tour of the facilities of HZDR followed the morning session. The next day of the workshop was devoted mainly to XUV & attosecond pulse sources from LPI. Dr. F. Quéré (Paris) gave a tutorial talk on plasma mirrors as sources of attosecond pulses through laser-driven high-harmonic generation, covering both theoretical and experimental aspects. On the last day of the workshop the topics of filamentation and THz generation were visited. Prof. S. L. Chin (Laval) gave an overview talk of filamentation science and its applications, exposing the many facets of filamentation in air and its use in light sources. In addition to these tutorial talks, the institute's colloquium was given by Prof. J. Meyer-ter- Vehn (Garching), covering in a pedagogical manner the multiple light generation mechanisms from relativistic laser-plasma interactions. Moreover, during the last day of the workshop a public evening lecture was delivered by Prof. J. Meyer-ter-Vehn, attracting around 150 participants of all ages.

In addition to the invited tutorial talks, a total of 29 contributed and invited talks of 25 minute duration (+5 min questions) were given by senior and junior scientists and PhD students. Particular attention was given to assigning talks to postdocs and PhD students in order to provide them an opportunity to introduce themselves to the community. Moreover, 27 poster presentations were given by young scientists. Two sessions (Monday and Tuesday) were allocated in order to maximize the available time for interaction among poster presenters and participants. The format of the workshop was met with great enthusiasm by the participants. The pedagogical and in-depth introductions of the main topics through tutorial talks triggered lively discussions. At the same time the contributed talks and poster presentations provided a wider coverage of the different topics. The workshop was attended by 69 participants with 21 different nationalities and participation was balanced between junior and senior researchers. Moreover, some of the participants came from different communities (e.g. atomic physics, laser physics) and greatly benefited from the tutorial talks, while they also provided valuable insights to the laser-plasma community. Based on the enthusiastic input from participants and the extended discussions during the workshop, we believe that our goal of facilitating interactions between scientists working on different areas of laser-plasmas interactions and even in different fields of physics was met with great success. We believe that the unique characteristic of MPIPKS to host the workshop and accommodate the participants in-house contributed significantly to creating a friendly atmosphere that helped trigger interactions and forge a sense of community.
The scientific organizers would like to thank the Max Planck Society for making the workshop possible by providing financial support and the required facilities and HZDR for providing additional financial support. We are indebted to the visitors program of MPIPKS for providing flawless organization.

For further information please e-mail to:
nlight15pks.mpg.de