Extreme Magnetic field for laboratory astrophysics with Ultra-high-intensity Lasers – EMUL

Understanding the physics of extreme astrophysical phenomena like pulsars and black holes remains a profound challenge in astrophysics. Our understanding is shaped by astrophysical observations of the broad radiated light spectrum, indirectly characterizing high-energy particles that could be produced by microphysical plasma processes, yet poorly characterized. With the limited observations and large scales resolved by present astrophysical measurements, the dominant acceleration process and the interpretation of the energy spectrum features are still elusive. The ultra-intense magnetic field surrounding these astrophysical objects is believed to be the key to unraveling the physics behind such extreme environments. This field, with strength reaching up to 109 Tesla (14 orders of magnitude beyond the Earth one), may trigger pair production and high-energy radiation emission, and govern those systems' evolution. A promising approach to exploring the microphysics of these scenarios relies on generating strong magnetic fields in the laboratory. Standard technologies are limited to tens of Tesla, but ultra-high-intensity lasers could push this threshold and bring us to unexplored regimes. This work aims to harness the capabilities of upcoming laser facilities, leveraging extensive cutting-edge simulations to identify the optimal conditions for unprecedently strong magnetic field production. The envisioned process is strongly linked to fundamental aspects of angular momentum exchange between light and matter, which this work will theoretically provide new insights. Furthermore, this project will numerically explore the applications of this magnetic field in pioneering laboratory studies of relativistic magnetic reconnection. This manifold project demands unique interdisciplinary expertise and promises to address the challenges of future experiments, ultimately advancing our fundamental understanding that paves the way for extreme laboratory astrophysics research.