Laboratory Astrophysics using Intense X-ray from Free Electron Lasers

The laboratory astrophysics is a new emerging field of basic sciences, and has tremendous discovery potentials. The laboratory astrophysics investigates the basic physical phenomena in the astrophysical objects in controlled and reproducible manners, which has become possible only recently due to the newly-established intense photon and ion beam facilities worldwide. In this presentation, we will introduce several promising ideas for laboratory astrophysics programs that might be readily incorporated in the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory X-ray Free Electron Laser (PAL-XFEL). For example, precise spectroscopic measurements using Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) and intense X-ray photons from the PAL-XFEL can be performed to explore the fundamental processes in high energy X-ray phenomena in the visible universe. Besides, in many violent astrophysical events, the energy density of matter becomes so high that the traditional plasma physics description becomes inapplicable. Generation of such high-energy density states can be also be achieved by using the intense photon beams available from the PAL-XFEL.