Dynamics of electrons subjected to a constant amplitude classical electromagnetic (EM) wave is investigated as a fundamental, representative problem in the physics of interacting quantum and classical waves. In the nonrelativistic regime (electrons as Schrödinger waves), the electron energy acquires a constant and a time dependent part. Driven by EM waves, both parts scale strongly with the amplitude, but we expect no resonant enhancement since the parallel electron “speed” of nonrelativistic electrons could never match the wave phase velocity. In the relativistic regime (electron as a Klein–Gordon wave), however, a class of electron waves (with parallel speed matching the EM phase speed) are resonantly excited to extremely high energies. Such a direct resonant energy transfer from intense electromagnetic waves constitutes a mechanism that could, in principle, power the most energetic of cosmic rays (this mechanism will work on protons just as well). Some predictions of the theory will, hopefully, be tested in laboratory laser experiments. The nonrelativistic calculations will also be examined in the context of recent experiments using photon-induced near-field electron microscopy in detail.
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Interacting quantum and classical waves: Resonant and non-resonant energy transfer to electrons immersed in an intense electromagnetic wave
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February 2022
Research Article|
February 16 2022
Interacting quantum and classical waves: Resonant and non-resonant energy transfer to electrons immersed in an intense electromagnetic wave
Swadesh M. Mahajan
;
Swadesh M. Mahajan
a)
1
Institute for Fusion Studies, The University of Texas at Austin
, Texas 78712, USA
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Felipe A. Asenjo
Felipe A. Asenjo
b)
2
Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez
, Santiago 7491169, Chile
b)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: felipe.asenjo@uai.cl
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a)
Electronic address: mahajan@mail.utexas.edu
b)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: felipe.asenjo@uai.cl
Physics of Plasmas 29, 022107 (2022)
Article history
Received:
November 17 2021
Accepted:
January 31 2022
Citation
Swadesh M. Mahajan, Felipe A. Asenjo; Interacting quantum and classical waves: Resonant and non-resonant energy transfer to electrons immersed in an intense electromagnetic wave. Physics of Plasmas 1 February 2022; 29 (2): 022107. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0079027
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