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Supervisor's Foreword; Abstract; PublicationsThe following publications contain work presented in this thesis:Pike, O. J., Mackenroth, F., Hill, E. G. and Rose, S. J.: A photon-photon collider in a vacuum hohlraum. Nat. Photonics 8‚ 434-436 (2014). See also:Interview with Oliver Pike, Light into matter, Nat. Photonics 8, 496 (2014).Alexander Thomas: Antimatter creation in an X-ray bath, Nat. Photonics 8, 429-431 (2014).Pike, O. J. and Rose, S. J.: Dynamical friction in a relativistic plasma, Phy. Rev. E 89, 053107 (2014).Pike, ; Acknowledgements; Contents; Conventions and Symbols
1 Introduction1.1 Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion; 1.1.1 Inertial Confinement Fusion; 1.1.2 The National Ignition Facility; 1.2 High Intensity Laser Plasma Interactions; 1.2.1 Laser Plasma Acceleration; 1.2.2 Laser-Based QED Experiments; 1.3 Structure of Thesis; References; 2 Theoretical Background; 2.1 Kinetic Theory of Plasmas; 2.1.1 The Klimontovich Equation; 2.1.2 The Boltzmann Equation; 2.1.3 The Fokker-Planck Collision Operator; 2.1.4 Jüttner's Distribution; 2.1.5 Linearisation of the Boltzmann Equation; 2.1.6 Classical Transport Theory; 2.2 Quantum Electrodynamics
2.2.1 QED Processes in High-Temperature Plasmas2.2.2 Non-linear QED in Strong Electromagnetic Fields; References; 3 Dynamical Friction in a Relativistic Plasma; 3.1 Relativistic Fokker
Planck coefficients for a Maxwellian background; 3.1.1 Limiting Cases; 3.2 Relativistic Test Particle Relaxation Rates; 3.2.1 Momentum Loss Rate; 3.2.2 Momentum Diffusion Rates; 3.2.3 Energy Exchange Rate; 3.3 Discussion of Results; 3.4 Limits of Validity; References; 4 Transport Processes in a Relativistic Plasma; 4.1 Lorentzian Plasma: Analytical Treatment; 4.1.1 Limiting Cases
4.1.2 Dimensionless Transport Coefficients4.2 Plasmas with Arbitrary Atomic Number: Numerical Solution; 4.2.1 Numerical Scheme; 4.3 Rational Fits to the Transport Coefficients; 4.4 Discussion of Results; 4.5 Limits of Validity; References; 5 Numerical Simulations of High-Temperature Plasmas; 5.1 The Monte Carlo Method; 5.1.1 Numerical Scheme; 5.2 Verification of Theoretical Results and Benchmarking; 5.2.1 Relaxation to a Maxwellian Distribution; 5.2.2 Relaxation Rates of a Relativistic Test Particle; 5.2.3 Transport Coefficients of a Relativistic Plasma
5.3 Physics Beyond the Fokker
Planck ApproximationReferences; 6 An Experiment to Observe the Breit
Wheeler Process; 6.1 Laser-Based Antimatter Experiments; 6.1.1 Pair Production in Solid Targets Irradiated by High Intensity Lasers; 6.1.2 Pair Production in Laser Wakefield Driven Solid Target Scattering; 6.1.3 Pair Production in Burning Thermonuclear Plasmas; 6.1.4 SLAC E-144 Experiment; 6.1.5 Positron Production at Ultra-High Laser Intensities; 6.2 Outline of Experimental Scheme; 6.2.1 Creation of an Intense Gamma-Ray Beam Using Brems-Strahlung
1 Introduction1.1 Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion; 1.1.1 Inertial Confinement Fusion; 1.1.2 The National Ignition Facility; 1.2 High Intensity Laser Plasma Interactions; 1.2.1 Laser Plasma Acceleration; 1.2.2 Laser-Based QED Experiments; 1.3 Structure of Thesis; References; 2 Theoretical Background; 2.1 Kinetic Theory of Plasmas; 2.1.1 The Klimontovich Equation; 2.1.2 The Boltzmann Equation; 2.1.3 The Fokker-Planck Collision Operator; 2.1.4 Jüttner's Distribution; 2.1.5 Linearisation of the Boltzmann Equation; 2.1.6 Classical Transport Theory; 2.2 Quantum Electrodynamics
2.2.1 QED Processes in High-Temperature Plasmas2.2.2 Non-linear QED in Strong Electromagnetic Fields; References; 3 Dynamical Friction in a Relativistic Plasma; 3.1 Relativistic Fokker
Planck coefficients for a Maxwellian background; 3.1.1 Limiting Cases; 3.2 Relativistic Test Particle Relaxation Rates; 3.2.1 Momentum Loss Rate; 3.2.2 Momentum Diffusion Rates; 3.2.3 Energy Exchange Rate; 3.3 Discussion of Results; 3.4 Limits of Validity; References; 4 Transport Processes in a Relativistic Plasma; 4.1 Lorentzian Plasma: Analytical Treatment; 4.1.1 Limiting Cases
4.1.2 Dimensionless Transport Coefficients4.2 Plasmas with Arbitrary Atomic Number: Numerical Solution; 4.2.1 Numerical Scheme; 4.3 Rational Fits to the Transport Coefficients; 4.4 Discussion of Results; 4.5 Limits of Validity; References; 5 Numerical Simulations of High-Temperature Plasmas; 5.1 The Monte Carlo Method; 5.1.1 Numerical Scheme; 5.2 Verification of Theoretical Results and Benchmarking; 5.2.1 Relaxation to a Maxwellian Distribution; 5.2.2 Relaxation Rates of a Relativistic Test Particle; 5.2.3 Transport Coefficients of a Relativistic Plasma
5.3 Physics Beyond the Fokker
Planck ApproximationReferences; 6 An Experiment to Observe the Breit
Wheeler Process; 6.1 Laser-Based Antimatter Experiments; 6.1.1 Pair Production in Solid Targets Irradiated by High Intensity Lasers; 6.1.2 Pair Production in Laser Wakefield Driven Solid Target Scattering; 6.1.3 Pair Production in Burning Thermonuclear Plasmas; 6.1.4 SLAC E-144 Experiment; 6.1.5 Positron Production at Ultra-High Laser Intensities; 6.2 Outline of Experimental Scheme; 6.2.1 Creation of an Intense Gamma-Ray Beam Using Brems-Strahlung