Effects of radiation reaction in relativistic laser acceleration

Journal Article · Mon Nov 01 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.82.096012· OSTI ID:21503840

Hadad, Y; Labun, L; Rafelski, J; Elkina, N; Klier, C; Ruhl, H ^[1]

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1. Departments of Physics and Mathematics, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721 (United States)

The goal of this paper is twofold: to explore the response of classical charges to electromagnetic force at the level of unity in natural units and to establish a criterion that determines physical parameters for which the related radiation-reaction effects are detectable. In pursuit of this goal, the Landau-Lifshitz equation is solved analytically for an arbitrary (transverse) electromagnetic pulse. A comparative study of the radiation emission of an electron in a linearly polarized pulse for the Landau-Lifshitz equation and for the Lorentz force equation reveals the radiation-reaction-dominated regime, in which radiation-reaction effects overcome the influence of the external fields. The case of a relativistic electron that is slowed down by a counterpropagating electromagnetic wave is studied in detail. We further show that when the electron experiences acceleration of order unity, the dynamics of the Lorentz force equation, the Landau-Lifshitz equation and the Lorentz-Abraham-Dirac equation all result in different radiation emission that could be distinguished in experiment. Finally, our analytic and numerical results are compared with those appearing in the literature.

• OSTI ID: 21503840
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Journal Name: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 82; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ACCELERATION
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
DIRAC EQUATION
ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EMISSION
ENERGY RANGE
EQUATIONS
FERMIONS
FIELD EQUATIONS
LEPTONS
LORENTZ FORCE
MATHEMATICAL SOLUTIONS
NATURAL UNITS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PULSES
RADIATIONS
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
SIMULATION
UNITS
WAVE EQUATIONS