Working Group 2: Strong-Field QED Plasmas

Leader: Arno Vanthieghem

Co-Leader: Andrey Timokhin

Research

WG2 explores plasmas in ultra-strong electromagnetic fields, where nonlinear quantum electrodynamics effects fundamentally alter plasma behaviour.

Key Scientific Questions

• How can we describe the self-consistent coupling between plasma and nonlinear Maxwell’s equations in the non-perturbative QED regime?
• What are the observational signatures of strong-field QED processes, particularly in strongly magnetised objects such as magnetars?
• Can these effects be reproduced in laboratory experiments using ultra-intense lasers and particle beams?

Key Objectives / Main Tasks

• Develop novel numerical capabilities for modelling plasmas in the non-perturbative QED regime, exploring and comparing different approaches.
• Define and prepare testbed experiments relevant to high-energy astrophysical systems in current and future facilities.
• Perform local and global simulations of strongly magnetised magnetospheres, linking microphysics to observable signatures.