TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of radiation reaction in relativistic laser acceleration
AU - Hadad, Y.
AU - Labun, L.
AU - Rafelski, J.
AU - Elkina, N.
AU - Klier, C.
AU - Ruhl, H.
PY - 2010/11/24
Y1 - 2010/11/24
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
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U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevD.82.096012
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevD.82.096012
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:78651069929
SN - 1550-7998
VL - 82
JO - Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology
JF - Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology
IS - 9
M1 - 096012
ER -