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Shining intense laser light onto a thin aluminium foil creates a relativistic plasma aperture—and diffraction. As a result, an electron beam is generated with a spatial structure that can be changed by varying the characteristics of the laser pulse.
Cells break their symmetry to migrate, switching between protrusive and retractive edge activity to move directionally. Experiments and simulations reveal that this mode switching relies on a mechanism that depends on distance to the cell’s centre.
Fast-ignition laser fusion involves directing an intense relativistic electron beam onto a fuel target. Experiments and simulations now enable a visualization of the location of fast electrons and the energy-coupling mechanisms at play.