Nonlinear electrodynamics at cylindrical “cumulation” fronts
Year: 2020
Authors: Pegoraro F., Bulanov S.V.
Autors Affiliation: Pisa Univ, Phys Dept, Largo Pontecorvo 3, Pisa 56127, Italy; CNR, Natl Inst Opt, Via G Moruzzi 1, Pisa, Italy; CAS, Inst Phys, ELI Beamlines Project, Na Slovance 2, Prague 18221, Czech Republic; Natl Inst Quantum & Radiol Sci & Technol QST, Kansai Photon Sci Inst, 8-1-7 Umemidai, Kyoto 6190215, Japan.
Abstract: Converging cylindrical electromagnetic fields in vacuum have been shown (Zababakhin and Nechaev Sov Phys JETP 6:345, 1958) to exhibit amplitude “cumulation”. It was found that the amplitude of self-similar waves increases without bounds at finite distances from the axis on the front of the fields reflected from the cylindrical axis. In the present paper, we propose to exploit this cylindrical cumulation process as a possible new path towards the generation of ultra-strong electromagnetic fields where nonlinear quantum electrodynamics (QED) effects come into play. We show that these effects, as described in the long wave-length limit within the framework of the Euler Heisenberg Lagrangian, induce a radius-dependent reduction of the propagation speed of the cumulation front. Furthermore, we compute the e+-e- pair production rate at the cumulation front and show that the total number of pairs that are generated scales as the sixth power of the field amplitude.
Journal/Review: RENDICONTI LINCEI-SCIENZE FISICHE E NATURALI
Volume: 31 (2) Pages from: 303 to: 313
More Information: This work was supported in part by by the project High Field Initiative (CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/15 003/0000449) from the European Regional Development Fund.KeyWords: Ultraintense electromagnetic fields; Amplitude cumulation; Quantum electrodynamicsDOI: 10.1007/s12210-020-00906-wConnecting to view paper tab on IsiWeb: Click here