Radiation-Reaction Trapping of Electrons in Extreme Laser Fields

Particle-in-cell codes are now standard tools for studying ultra-intense laser-plasma interactions. Motivated by direct laser acceleration of electrons in sub-critical plasmas, we examine temporal resolution requirements that must be satisfied to accurately calculate electron dynamics in strong laser fields. Using the motion of a single electron in a perfect plane electromagnetic wave as a test problem, we show surprising deterioration of the numerical accuracy with increasing wave amplitude a 0 for a given time-step. We go on to show analytically that the time-step must be significantly less than k/ca 0 to achieve good accuracy. We thus propose adaptive electron sub-cycling as an efficient remedy. V C 2015 AIP Publishing LLC. [http://dx.

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“…Equations (15) and (16) give p x and p y only in terms of n and one still needs to integrate Eq. (7) in order to find p x (x, t) and p y (x, t).…”

Section: Single Electron Dynamics In a Plane Wavementioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal resolution criterion for correctly simulating relativistic electron motion in a high-intensity laser field

et al. 2015

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“…Then, in § 3 we briefly recover the main features of the electron motion in two counter-propagating plane waves. In § 4 we formulate a simple theoretical model of the stabilization of the particle motion in the oscillating field due to nonlinear dissipation effects, which explains the radiative electron trapping revealed earlier in Gonoskov et al (2012Gonoskov et al ( , 2013, Ji et al (2014), Bulanov et al (2015), Esirkepov et al (2015), Jirka et al (2016), Kirk (2016). Section 5 relates to the regular and chaotic electron motion in three s-polarized laser pulses.…”

Section: S V Bulanov and Othersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Charged particle dynamics in multiple colliding electromagnetic waves. Survey of random walk, Lévy flights, limit circles, attractors and structurally determinate patterns

et al. 2017

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The multiple colliding laser pulse concept formulated by Bulanov et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 104, 2010b, 220404) is beneficial for achieving an extremely high amplitude of coherent electromagnetic field. Since the topology of electric and magnetic fields of multiple colliding laser pulses oscillating in time is far from trivial and the radiation friction effects are significant in the high field limit, the dynamics of charged particles interacting with the multiple colliding laser pulses demonstrates remarkable features corresponding to random walk trajectories, limit circles, attractors, regular patterns and Lévy flights. Under extremely high intensity conditions the nonlinear dissipation mechanism stabilizes the particle motion resulting in the charged particle trajectory being located within narrow regions and in the occurrence of a new class of regular patterns made by the particle ensembles.

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“…19 These electrons then radiate, creating a channel for energy loss and faster depletion of the laser pulse. For large a 0 , the expected time between photon emissions can be estimated by s % 31Tðk c =ka 0 Þ 1=3 , yielding s % 2:5T=a 1=3 0 for k ¼ 5 nm.…”

Section: -4 Svedungmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects and limitations of wakefield acceleration in solids

2018

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Advances in the generation of relativistic intensity pulses with wavelengths in the X-ray regime, through high harmonic generation from near-critical plasmas, open up the possibility of X-ray driven wakefield acceleration. The similarity scaling laws for laser plasma interaction suggest that X-rays can drive wakefields in solid materials providing TeV/cm gradients, resulting in electron and photon beams of extremely short duration. However, the wavelength reduction enhances the quantum parameter χ, hence opening the question of the role of non-scalable physics, e.g., the effects of radiation reaction. Using three dimensional Particle-In-Cell simulations incorporating QED effects, we show that for the wavelength λ=5 nm and relativistic amplitudes a0=10–100, similarity scaling holds to a high degree, combined with χ∼1 operation already at moderate a0∼50, leading to photon emissions with energies comparable to the electron energies. Contrasting to the generation of photons with high energies, the reduced frequency of photon emission at X-ray wavelengths (compared with that at optical wavelengths) leads to a reduction in the amount of energy that is removed from the electron population through radiation reaction. Furthermore, as the emission frequency approaches the laser frequency, the importance of radiation reaction trapping as a depletion mechanism is reduced, compared with that at optical wavelengths for a0 leading to similar χ.

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Radiation-Reaction Trapping of Electrons in Extreme Laser Fields

Cited by 171 publications

References 25 publications

Temporal resolution criterion for correctly simulating relativistic electron motion in a high-intensity laser field

Temporal resolution criterion for correctly simulating relativistic electron motion in a high-intensity laser field

Charged particle dynamics in multiple colliding electromagnetic waves. Survey of random walk, Lévy flights, limit circles, attractors and structurally determinate patterns

Prospects and limitations of wakefield acceleration in solids

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