First experimental observation of nonlinear Compton scattering
Marija Vranic, a professor at IST and researcher at IPFN/GoLP, together with PhD student Óscar Amaro, played a pivotal role in the groundbreaking discovery of a new physical effect. This work was part of an international collaboration that achieved the first experimental observation of nonlinear Compton scattering, published on 14 October 2024 in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Photonics.The study was conducted at the Centre for Relativistic Laser Science (CoReLS) in South Korea, employing one of the world's most powerful laser systems to demonstrate this phenomenon. Nonlinear Compton scattering occurs when a high-energy electron absorbs multiple photons, emitting a single gamma-ray photon of exceptionally high energy. The gamma-ray beam produced in the experiment was a thousand times brighter than previous records at this energy scale.
Marija Vranic and Óscar Amaro, both GoLP/IPFN members, were responsible for the theoretical framework that guided the experiment. Their contributions included large-scale simulations and analytical models that confirmed the experimental results.
“This study is groundbreaking in two ways: it verifies an effect that has been theoretically predicted for decades, and it has significant implications for applications. The photon beam generated has promising characteristics for use as a radiation source in medical and biological imaging, security, and quality control,” Marija explains.
The experiment, which required extreme precision, involved accelerating electrons to near-light speeds before colliding them with an ultra-intense laser pulse lasting only 20 femtoseconds. This method enabled the creation of unprecedented conditions, allowing the electrons to absorb up to 400 photons simultaneously.
