Novel particle accelerators driven by ultrashort and ultraintense lasers: opportunities and challenges

The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Arthur Ashkin for his invention of optical tweezers, and to Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland for their invention of chirped pulse amplification for optical pulses. The latter technique has enabled us to generate intense ultrashort laser pulses with unprecedented peak powers. We present a brief overview of the new scientific frontiers carved out with such lasers. In particular, the development, opportunities and challenges associated with novel types of particle accelerators driven by intense ultrafast lasers will be discussed.