High-Intensity Laser-Field Amplification between Two Foils

Interaction of two oppositely directed ultraintense laser pulses with two closely placed thin foils is modeled analytically and investigated by particle-in-cell simulation. It is shown that laser energy can be trapped and accumulated between the foils. The intensity could reach a 100-fold that of the pump lasers. The trapping is found to be bistable and the parameters for stable energy confinement and enhancement are given. The ultrahigh fields that can be produced have many potential applications, including that of verifying nonlinear quantum electrodynamics effects.