Vacuum high harmonic generation in the shock regime
arXiv:1503.05192 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.92.032115
Abstract
Electrodynamics becomes nonlinear and permits the self-interaction of fields when the quantised nature of vacuum states is taken into account. The effect on a plane probe pulse propagating through a stronger constant crossed background is calculated using numerical simulation and by analytically solving the corresponding wave equation. The electromagnetic shock resulting from vacuum high harmonic generation is investigated and a nonlinear shock parameter identified.
19 pages, 16 figures