2011/07/31 by Sebastian Meuren, S. Meuren, A. Di Piazza · 1 citation
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Laser Design and Applications #Laser-Matter Interactions and Applications #Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics #hep-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.107.260401
published as Phys. Rev. Lett. vol. 107, 260401 (2011) · 5 pages, 2 figures
arxiv created 2011/12/20 · openalex publication_date 2011/12/20 · arxiv updated 2011/12/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The quantum state of an electron in a strong laser field is altered if the interaction of the electron with its own electromagnetic field is taken into account. Starting from the Schwinger-Dirac equation, we determine the states of an electron in a plane-wave field with inclusion, at leading order, of its electromagnetic self-interaction. On the one hand, the electron states show a pure quantum contribution to the electron quasimomentum, conceptually different from the conventional classical one arising from the quiver motion of the electron. On the other hand, the electron self-interaction induces a distinct dynamics of the electron spin, whose effects are shown to be measurable in principle with available technology.