Effects of Radiation-Reaction in Relativistic Laser Acceleration

Abstract

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 counter propagating electromagnetic pulse 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.

16 pages, 11 figures; added appendix comparing to previously published results; in press with Phys Rev D

References in corpus (4)

• Strong signatures of radiation reaction below the radiation dominated regime
• A Rigorous Derivation of Electromagnetic Self-force
• Emission and its back-reaction accompanying electron motion in relativistically strong and QED-strong pulsed laser fields
• Exact Solution of the Landau-Lifshitz Equations for a Radiating Charged Particle in The Coulomb Potential

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Aspects of electromagnetic radiation reaction in strong fields
• Covariant Worldline Numerics for Charge Motion with Radiation Reaction
• Properties of electrons scattered on a strong plane electromagnetic wave with a linear polarization: classical treatment
• Comments on initial conditions for the Abraham-Lorentz(-Dirac) equation
• Strong Field Physics: Probing Critical Acceleration and Inertia with Laser Pulses and Quark-Gluon Plasma
• Radiation reaction in strong fields from an alternative perspective