Probing Beam Instabilities in a Laboratory Analogue of Blazar Pair Cascades

Explore laboratory analogues of blazar pair cascades through experimental plasma physics in this 41-minute conference talk by Gianluca Gregori from Oxford University. Discover how beam instabilities can be probed in controlled laboratory settings to better understand the extreme plasma processes occurring around black holes and neutron stars. Learn about the experimental approaches used to recreate conditions similar to those found in relativistic astrophysical jets and pair cascades associated with blazars. Examine the connection between laboratory plasma experiments and high-energy astrophysical phenomena, including how these studies contribute to our understanding of magnetic reconnection, shock formation, and other nonlinear plasma processes under extreme relativistic conditions. Gain insights into the interdisciplinary approach combining observational astrophysics, theoretical plasma physics, and experimental techniques to investigate the fundamental physics governing exotic astrophysical objects and their spectacular emissions.