https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-021-00249-z
Review
Conceptual design report for the LUXE experiment
1
Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
2
TU Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany
3
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328, Dresden, Germany
4
Max Planck Institute for Structure and Dynamics of Matter, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
5
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), 22607, Hamburg, Germany
6
Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel
7
Department of Physics, Southern University of Science and Technology, 518055, Shenzhen, China
8
University of Gothenburg, 41296, Gothenburg, Sweden
9
Department of Physics, John Adams Institute at Royal Holloway, Royal Holloway, TW20 0EX, Egham, Surrey, UK
10
Institute for Nuclear Research NASU (KINR), 03680, Kyiv, Ukraine
11
INFN and University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
12
School of Mathematics and Physics, The Queen’s University of Belfast, BT7 1NN, Belfast, UK
13
INFN and University of Padova, Padua, Italy
14
National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Kashirskoe sh. 31, 115409, Moscow, Russia
15
Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science, AGH University of Science and Technology, Kraków, Poland
16
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), 141980, Dubna, Russia
17
University College London, WC1E 6BT, London, UK
18
Helmholtz Institut Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany
19
Friedrich Schiller Universität Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany
20
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, 79085, Freiburg, Germany
21
University of Plymouth, PL4 8AA, Plymouth, UK
22
Department of Physics, Nuclear Research Centre-Negev, P.O. Box 9001, 84190, Beer Sheva, Israel
23
Physics Department, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003, Haifa, Israel
24
Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab, 91405, Orsay, France
25
LIDYL, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA Saclay, 91 191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
26
Institute of Nuclear Physics, TU Darmstadt, 64289, Darmstadt, Germany
27
Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), 121205, Moscow, Russia
28
INFN Trieste, Trieste, Italy
29
National Research Tomsk State University NI TSU, TSU, Tomsk, Russia
30
HU Berlin, Berlin, Germany
31
BTU Cottbus und RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
32
University of Udine, Udine, Italy
Received:
23
February
2021
Accepted:
10
July
2021
Published online:
8
September
2021
This Conceptual Design Report describes LUXE (Laser Und XFEL Experiment), an experimental campaign that aims to combine the high-quality and high-energy electron beam of the European XFEL with a powerful laser to explore the uncharted terrain of quantum electrodynamics characterised by both high energy and high intensity. We will reach this hitherto inaccessible regime of quantum physics by analysing high-energy electron-photon and photon-photon interactions in the extreme environment provided by an intense laser focus. The physics background and its relevance are presented in the science case which in turn leads to, and justifies, the ensuing plan for all aspects of the experiment: Our choice of experimental parameters allows (i) field strengths to be probed where the coupling to charges becomes non-perturbative and (ii) a precision to be achieved that permits a detailed comparison of the measured data with calculations. In addition, the high photon flux predicted will enable a sensitive search for new physics beyond the Standard Model. The initial phase of the experiment will employ an existing 40 TW laser, whereas the second phase will utilise an upgraded laser power of 350 TW. All expectations regarding the performance of the experimental set-up as well as the expected physics results are based on detailed numerical simulations throughout.
© The Author(s) 2021
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