Pushing the frontiers of light: magnetized plasma lenses and chirp tailoring for extreme intensities

In this work, an innovative scheme is proposed that exploits the response of magnetized plasmas to realize a refractive index exceeding unity for right circularly polarized waves. Using two- and three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations with the OSIRIS 4.0 framework, it is shown that a shaped magnetized plasma lens (MPL) can act as a glass/solid-state-based convex lens, enhancing laser intensity via transverse focusing. Moreover, by integrating three key ingredients, a tailored plasma lens geometry, a spatially structured strong magnetic field and a suitably chirped laser pulse, simultaneous focusing and compression of the pulse has been achieved. The simulations reveal up to a 100-fold increase in laser intensity, enabled by the combined action of the MPL and the chirped pulse profile. With recent advances in high-field magnet technology, shaped plasma targets and controlled chirped laser systems, this approach offers a promising pathway toward experimentally reaching extreme intensities.