Heidelberg 2015 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 42: Quantum Effects: QED II

Q 42.8: Talk

Wednesday, March 25, 2015, 16:15–16:30, B/SR

Electron-beam dynamics in a strong laser field including quantum radiation reaction — •Norman Neitz and Antonino Di Piazza — Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg

The effects of radiation reaction in the head-on collision of an ultrarelativistic electron beam with a strong plane-wave field are investigated by means of a kinetic approach [1]. Contrary to the predictions of classical electrodynamics, employing the Landau-Lifshitz equation [2], it is demonstrated that the final electron distribution depends on the shape of the laser envelope and on the pulse duration at a given total laser fluence. Further, we study how the dynamics of the photons and charged particles is altered by the inclusion of the pair production process. Our numerical results indicate the feasibility of measuring the investigated effects with present technology [3]. In the classical regime, nonlinear Thomson scattering has been recently exploited experimentally to produce a multi-MeV photon beam with an unprecedented high brilliance in an all-optical setup [4].

[1] V. N. Baier, V. M. Katkov and V. M. Strakhovenko, “Electromagnetic Processes at High Energies in Oriented Single Crystals” (World Scientific, Singapore, 1998).
L. D. Landau and E. M. Lifshitz, “The Classical Theory of Fields” (Elsevier, Oxford, 1975).
N. Neitz and A. Di Piazza, Phys. Rev. A 90, 022102 (2014).
G. Sarri et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 224801 (2014).