PetaVolts per meter Plasmonics: introducing extreme nanoscience as a route towards scientific frontiers

Abstract

Abstract A new class of plasmons has opened access to unprecedented PetaVolts per meter electromagnetic fields which can transform the paradigm of scientific and technological advances. This includes non-collider searches in fundamental physics in addition to making next generation colliders feasible. PetaVolts per meter plasmonics relies on this new class of plasmons uncovered by our work in the large amplitude limit of collective oscillations of quantum electron gas. This Fermi gas constituted by “free” conduction band electrons is inherent in conductive media endowed with a suitable combination of constituent atoms and ionic lattice structure. As this quantum gas of electrons can be as dense as 1024 cm-3, the coherence limit of plasmonic electromagnetic fields is extended in our model from the classical to the quantum domain, 0.1 √(n 0(1024 cm-3)) PVm-1. Appropriately engineered, structured materials that allow highly tunable material properties also make it possible to overcome disruptive instabilities that dominate the interactions in bulk media. The ultra-high density of conduction electrons and the existence of electronic energy bands engendered by the ionic lattice is only possible due to quantum mechanical effects. Based on this framework, it is critical to address various challenges that underlie PetaVolts per meter plasmonics including stable excitation of plasmons while accounting for their effects on the ionic lattice and the electronic energy band structure over femtosecond timescales. We summarize the challenges and ongoing efforts that set the strategy for the future. Extreme plasmonic fields can shape the future by not only opening the possibility of tens of TeV to multi-PeV center-of-mass-energies but also enabling novel pathways in non-collider HEP. In view of this promise, our efforts are dedicated to realization of the immense potential of PV/m plasmonics and its applications.