Summary
The recent development of super-intense lasers, capable of delivering femtosecond pulses of intensity up to 1019 W cm-2, had led to the discovery of new phenomena in laser interactions with matter. This proposal requests support for a combined effort of leading groups from twelve European countries to carry out experimental and theoretical studies of these processes. Research will focus on the following areas at the forefront of this rapidly expanding domain:
1. Multiphoton ionization of atoms in strong laser fields.
2. Dynamics of small molecules intense laser fields.
3. New physical mechanisms and novel applications for high-order harmonic generation.
4. Generation of pulses in the attosecond (10-18 s) range.
5. Relativistic effects in laser-atom interactions.
6. Physics related to the "fast ignitor" approach to inertial confinement fusion (ICF).
7. Study of exotic states of matter for basic physics and astrophysics.
This programme will allow the groups involved to expand their existing, successful collaborations and strengthen the leadership of Europe in this important scientific domain, where there is no pan-European funding at the present time.
