Description
Ultrarelativistic radiative plasmas represent an extreme state of matter in which radiation reaction and high-energy gamma-ray emission play a central role. When an ultrarelativistic electron emits a gamma-ray photon, radiative spin-flip processes can induce electron spin polarization, implying that such plasmas may become intrinsically spin polarized. This introduces spin polarization as a new carrier of physical information beyond conventional charge and energy diagnostics. In this talk, we focus on the correlation between transient plasma dynamics and the associated spin-polarization signatures. By exploiting spin-polarization signals, we identify several nontrivial plasma phenomena, including asymmetric magnetic structures in laser-driven plasma channels [1], nonlinear filament dynamics driven by Weibel-like instabilities [2], the electron slingshot acceleration mechanism in relativistic collisionless shocks [3], and the emergence of spiral attractors in plasma phase space during magnetic reconnection [4].
[1] Z. Gong, K. Hatsagortsyan, C. Keitel, PRL 127, 165002 (2021)
[2] Z. Gong, K. Hatsagortsyan, C. Keitel, PRL 130, 015101 (2023)
[3] Z. Gong, X. Shen, K. Hatsagortsyan, C. Keitel, PRL 131, 225101 (2023)
[4] Z. Gong, K. Hatsagortsyan, C. Keitel, PRL 135, 045101 (2025)