Gamma-flash generation in multi-petawatt laser-matter interactions

The progressive development of high power lasers over the last several decades enables the study of gamma-photon generation when an intense laser beam interacts with matter, mainly via inverse Compton scattering at the high intensity limit. gamma-ray flashes are a phenomenon of broad interest, drawing the attention of researchers working in topics ranging from cosmological scales to elementary particle scales. Over the last few years, a plethora of studies predict extremely high laser energy to gamma-photon energy conversion using various target and/or laser field configurations. The aim of this article is to discuss several recently proposed gamma-ray flash generation schemes, as a guide for upcoming gamma-photon related experiments and for further evolution of the presently available theoretical schemes. (c) 2023 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).