The Ponderomotive Blog
A science, physics, and lasers blog and website aiming to add a voice to the world of science. Technical and non-technical articles about scientists, science, technology, academics, science policy, and everything in-between.
About the Name
The ponderomotive force is a nonlinear force that is common in laser-plasma interaction with high-intensity lasers. The force causes particles near the center of an intense laser pulse to eventually move towards the outer, weaker area of the pulse. This creates the "wake" responsible for particle acceleration in laser-wakefield acceleration.
The double-sided arrow above the P is a notation often used to denote a tensor quantity. Although the ponderomotive force is not necessarily a tensor, it still looks cool.
The name of course has a dual meaning, which is that to really reach the right conclusion on tough problems we must think and ponder.
About Me
I'm Spencer Jolly, the writer and operator of this site. I'm a PhD physics researcher from the USA, living in Europe. Go to my personal site for more info. Basically, I love science research and I am trying to write and add my voice.