dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaExperimental observation of nonlinear Thomson scattering
| Authors | Szu-yuan Chen, Anatoly Maksimchuk, Donald Umstadter |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/9810036 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/9810036 |
| DOI | 10.1038/25303 |
Abstract
A century ago, J. J. Thomson showed that the scattering of low-intensity light by electrons was a linear process (i.e., the scattered light frequency was identical to that of the incident light) and that light's magnetic field played no role. Today, with the recent invention of ultra-high-peak-power lasers it is now possible to create a sufficient photon density to study Thomson scattering in the relativistic regime. With increasing light intensity, electrons quiver during the scattering process with increasing velocity, approaching the speed of light when the laser intensity approaches 10^18 W/cm^2. In this limit, the effect of light's magnetic field on electron motion should become comparable to that of its electric field, and the electron mass should increase because of the relativistic correction. Consequently, electrons in such high fields are predicted to quiver nonlinearly, moving in figure-eight patterns, rather than in straight lines, and thus to radiate photons at harmonics of the frequency of the incident laser light, with each harmonic having its own unique angular distribution. In this letter, we report the first ever direct experimental confirmation of these predictions, a topic that has previously been referred to as nonlinear Thomson scattering. Extension of these results to coherent relativistic harmonic generation may eventually lead to novel table-top x-ray sources.
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"abstract": "A century ago, J. J. Thomson showed that the scattering of low-intensity\nlight by electrons was a linear process (i.e., the scattered light frequency\nwas identical to that of the incident light) and that light\u0027s magnetic field\nplayed no role. Today, with the recent invention of ultra-high-peak-power\nlasers it is now possible to create a sufficient photon density to study\nThomson scattering in the relativistic regime. With increasing light intensity,\nelectrons quiver during the scattering process with increasing velocity,\napproaching the speed of light when the laser intensity approaches 10^18\nW/cm^2. In this limit, the effect of light\u0027s magnetic field on electron motion\nshould become comparable to that of its electric field, and the electron mass\nshould increase because of the relativistic correction. Consequently, electrons\nin such high fields are predicted to quiver nonlinearly, moving in figure-eight\npatterns, rather than in straight lines, and thus to radiate photons at\nharmonics of the frequency of the incident laser light, with each harmonic\nhaving its own unique angular distribution. In this letter, we report the first\never direct experimental confirmation of these predictions, a topic that has\npreviously been referred to as nonlinear Thomson scattering. Extension of these\nresults to coherent relativistic harmonic generation may eventually lead to\nnovel table-top x-ray sources.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/9810036",
"authors": [
"Szu-yuan Chen",
"Anatoly Maksimchuk",
"Donald Umstadter"
],
"categories": [
"physics.optics",
"physics.plasm-ph"
],
"doi": "10.1038/25303",
"title": "Experimental observation of nonlinear Thomson scattering",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/9810036"
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