Jiang-Xing Li

Fields of an ultrashort tightly focused laser pulse

Analytic expressions for the electromagnetic fields of an ultrashort, tightly focused, linearly polarized laser pulse in vacuum are derived from scalar and vector potentials using a small parameter, which assumes a small bandwidth of the laser pulse. The derived fields are compared with those of the Lax series expansion and the complex-source-point approaches and are shown to be well-behaved and accurate even in the subcycle pulse regime. We further demonstrate that terms stemming from the scalar potential and due to a fast varying pulse envelope are non-negligible and may significantly influence laser-matter interactions.

Robust Signatures of Quantum Radiation Reaction in Focused Ultrashort Laser Pulses

Radiation-reaction effects in the interaction of an electron bunch with a superstrong focused ultrashort laser pulse are investigated in the quantum radiation-dominated regime. The angle-resolved Compton scattering spectra are calculated in laser pulses of variable duration using a semiclassical description for the radiation-dominated dynamics and a full quantum treatment for the emitted radiation. In dependence of the laser-pulse duration we find signatures of quantum radiation reaction in the radiation spectra, which are characteristic for the focused laser beam and visible in the qualitative behavior of both the angular spread and the spectral bandwidth of the radiation spectra. The signatures are robust with respect to the variation of the electron and laser-beam parameters in a large range. Qualitatively, they differ fully from those in the classical radiation-reaction regime and are measurable with presently available laser technology.

High-quality multi-GeV electron bunches via cyclotron autoresonance

Autoresonance laser acceleration of electrons is theoretically investigated using circularly polarized focused Gaussian pulses. Many-particle simulations demonstrate feasibility of creating over 10-GeV electron bunches of ultra-high quality (relative energy spread of order 10^-4), suitable for fundamental high-energy particle physics research. The laser peak intensities and axial magnetic field strengths required are up to about 10^18 W/cm^2 (peak power ~10 PW) and 60 T, respectively. Gains exceeding 100 GeV are shown to be possible when weakly focused pulses from a 200-PW laser facility are used.

Attosecond Gamma-Ray Pulses via Nonlinear Compton Scattering in the Radiation-Dominated Regime

The feasibility of the generation of bright ultrashort gamma-ray pulses is demonstrated in the interaction of a relativistic electron bunch with a counterpropagating tightly focused superstrong laser beam in the radiation-dominated regime. The Compton scattering spectra of gamma radiation are investigated using a semiclassical description for the electron dynamics in the laser field and a quantum electrodynamical description for the photon emission. We demonstrate the feasibility of ultrashort gamma-ray bursts of hundreds of attoseconds and of dozens of megaelectronvolt photon energies in the near-backwards direction of the initial electron motion. The tightly focused laser field structure and the radiation reaction are shown to be responsible for such short gamma-ray bursts, which are independent of the durations of the electron bunch and of the laser pulse. The results are measurable with the laser technology available in the near future.

Electromagnetic fields of an ultra-short tightly-focused radially-polarized laser pulse

Abstract Fully analytic expressions, for the electric and magnetic fields of an ultrashort and tightly focused laser pulse of the radially polarized category, are presented to lowest order of approximation. The fields are derived from scalar and vector potentials, along the lines of our earlier work for a similar pulse of the linearly polarized variety. A systematic program is also described from which the fields may be obtained to any desired accuracy, analytically or numerically.

Feasibility of electron cyclotron autoresonance acceleration by a short terahertz pulse

A vacuum auto-resonance accelerator scheme for electrons, which employs terahertz radiation and currently available magnetic fields, is suggested. Based on numerical simulations, parameter values, which could make the scheme experimentally feasible, are identified and discussed.

Single-Shot Carrier-Envelope Phase Determination of Long Superintense Laser Pulses

The impact of the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of an intense multicycle laser pulse on the radiation of an electron beam during nonlinear Compton scattering is investigated. We have identified a CEP effect specific to the ultrarelativistic regime. When the electron beam counterpropagates with the laser pulse, pronounced high-energy x-ray double peaks emerge near the backward direction relative to the initial electron motion. This is achieved in the relativistic interaction domain, where both the electron energy is required to be lower than for the electron reflection condition at the laser peak and the stochasticity effects in the photon emission need to be weak. The asymmetry parameter of the double peaks in the angular radiation distribution is shown to serve as a sensitive measure for the CEP of up to 10-cycle long laser pulses and can be applied for the characterization of extremely strong laser pulses in present and near future laser facilities.

Robust signatures of quantum radiation reaction with an electron beam in a focused laser pulse

Several signatures of quantum radiation reaction are investigated in the interaction of an electron beam with superstrong focused laser pulses in the radiation dominated regime. Analytic expressions for the electromagnetic fields of an ultrashort, tightly focused, laser pulse in vacuum are derived from scalar and vector potentials, using on equal footing two small parameters connected with the waist size of the laser beam and its duration. Due to the combined effect of the laser focusing and radiation reaction the angular spread of the main photon-emission region has a prominent maximum at an intermediate pulse duration and decreases along the further increase of the pulse duration, and the spectral bandwidth monotonically decreases with rising pulse duration. Those signatures can be used to distinguish the quantum radiation reaction with the classic radiation reaction and are measurable with currently available laser systems.

Particle beams in ultrastrong laser fields: direct laser acceleration and radiation reaction effects

Several aspects of the interaction of particle beams with ultrastrong laser fields are discussed. Firstly, we consider regimes when radiation reaction is not essential and it is demonstrated that employing chirped laser pulses, significant improvement of the direct acceleration of particles can be achieved. Results from single- and many-particle calculations of the particle acceleration, in vacuum, by plane-wave fields, as well as in tightly-focused laser beams, show that the mean energies and their spreads qualify them for important applications. Secondly, we investigate the effect of radiation reaction in electron-laser-beam interactions. Signatures of the quantum radiation reaction during the interaction of an electron bunch with a focused superstrong ultrashort laser pulse can be observed in a characteristic behavior of the spectral bandwidth, and the angular spread of the nonlinear Compton radiation on the laser pulse duration. Furthermore, it is shown that the radiation reaction effects can be employed to control the electron dynamics via the nonlinear interplay between the Lorentz and radiation reaction forces. In particular, it is shown that an ultrarelativistic electron bunch colliding head- on with a strong bichromatic laser pulse can be deflected in a controllable way, by changing either the relative phase or the relative amplitude between the two frequency components of the bichromatic field.