Nonresonant quantum electrodynamics processes in a pulsed laser field

This review contains theoretical study of nonresonant quantum electrodynamics processes of the first and second orders in the fine-structure constant in a pulsed laser field. The approximation is examined when the pulse width is considerably greater than the characteristic time of wave oscillations. It was demonstrated that for nonrelativistic particle energy the differential cross section of a process in a pulsed light fields may considerably difference from the corresponding cross section in an absence of a laser field. Results obtained may be experimentally verified by the scientific facilities at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research, Darmstadt, Germany) project.     

Quantum electrodynamics in a laser and the electron laser collisionQuantum electrodynamics in a laser and the electron laser collision

Quantum electrodynamics in a laser is formulated, in which the electron-laser interaction is exactly considered, while the interaction of an electron and a single photon is considered by perturbation. The formulation is applied to the electron- laser collisions. The effect of coherence between photons in the laser is therefore fully considered in these collisions. The possibility of y-ray laser generation by use of this kind of collision is discussed.     

Quantum electrodynamics in a laser and the electron laser collision

Quantum electrodynamics in a laser is formulated, in which the electron–laser interaction is exactly considered, while the interaction of an electron and a single photon is considered by perturbation. The formulation is applied to the electron– laser collisions. The effect of coherence between photons in the laser is therefore fully considered in these collisions. The possibility of γ-ray laser generation by use of this kind of collision is discussed.     

Quantum processes in a two-mode laser field

The probabilities of the emission of a photon by an electron and e ⁺ e ^?-pair photoproduction in a field which is a superposition of two electromagnetic plane waves with different frequencies and propagating in the same direction are obtained. The case where the frequencies of the two modes are commensurate is studied in detail. This case is interesting primarily because of the existence of effects due to the interference of amplitudes, corresponding to a different number of photons absorbed from different modes but having the same total 4-momentum. It is shown that the optimal field for observing interference effects is a field such that the ratio of the mode frequencies is 3. The probabilities of radiation and pair-photoproduction processes in the field of a monochromatic plane wave and in a two-mode field, obtained by splitting the initial wave into two waves, are compared. It is shown that the total probability of the emission of a photon by an electron in a two-mode field is lower than and the probability of pair photoproduction is higher than the probabilities of the same processes in the initial wave. The increase in the pair-photoproduction probability is explained by the fact that additional channels for reactions which are forbidden in the initial monochromatic field open up in a two-mode field.     

On refractive processes in strong laser field quantum electrodynamics

Refractive processes in strong-field QED are pure quantum processes, which involve only external photons and the background electromagnetic field. We show analytically that such processes occurring in a plane-wave field and involving external real photons are all characterized by a surprisingly modest net exchange of energy and momentum with the laser field, corresponding to a few laser photons, even in the limit of ultra-relativistic laser intensities. We obtain this result by a direct calculation of the transition matrix element of an arbitrary refractive QED process and accounting exactly for the background plane-wave field. A simple physical explanation of this modest net exchange of laser photons is provided, based on the fact that the laser field couples with the external photons only indirectly through virtual electron–positron pairs. For stronger and stronger laser fields, the pairs cover a shorter and shorter distance before they annihilate again, such that the laser can transfer to them an energy corresponding to only a few photons. These results can be relevant for the future experiments aiming to test strong-field QED at present and next-generation facilities.     

Quantum electron self-interaction in a strong laser field

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.     

Quantum electrodynamics on a space-time lattice

A Minkowski-lattice version of quantum electrodynamics (or rather its simplified version, with matter described by a scalar field) is constructed. Quantum fields are consequently described in a gauge-independent way, i.e. the algebra of quantum observables of the theory is generated by gauge-invariant operators assigned to zero-, one-, and two-dimensional elements of the lattice. The operators satisfy canonical commutation relations. The uniqueness of representation of this algebra is proved. Field dynamics is formulated in terms of difference equations imposed on the field operators. It is obtained from a discrete version of the path-integral. The theory is local and causal.     

Quantum electrodynamic perturbation theory based on electrodynamics with an external field

A method is proposed for construction of mean values of quantum quantities in quantum optics and electrodynamics on the basis of exact solutions of the corresponding problems of electrodynamics with an external field. To illustrate the method the mean energy of a two-level atom in the Raby problem is calculated. It is shown that the mean value obtained with a specified accuracy coincides with the result of exact quantum electrodynamic calculation.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 9, pp. 7–10, September, 1983.     

Nonlinear electrodynamics in a superstrong magnetic field

Using a Feynman technique in a two-dimensional space we have calculated an electron propagator and a photon polarization tensor in a superstrong magnetic field $\text{B ? B}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>0</mtext>}}\text{=}\text{m}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{e}\text{=}\text{4.41 × 10}{}^{13}$ G. Some applications are briefly discussed.     

Quantum carpets woven by cold atoms in a laser field

Propagation of wave packets of cold two-level atoms in a standing-wave laser field can be interpreted in the dressed-state basis as motion in two optical potentials. The three distinct regimes of the wavepacket motion are specified by the ratio of the squared atom–laser detuning to the normalized Doppler shift. We calculate the momentum and position probability densities, which form patterns with minima and maxima of probability both in the momentum and the position spaces known as quantum carpets. At small and large detunings, the atomic motion is substantially adiabatic, and the quantum carpets have a simple form. At intermediate detunings, the wave packet moves nonadiabatically, splitting at each node of the standing wave, which causes a proliferation or branching of atomic trajectories with a single atom. Nonadiabatic transitions produce beautiful quantum carpets with a rich structure.     

Acoustic field excited by a pulsed laser line source in a cylinder

The excitation and propagation of the acoustic waves in an elastic cylinder are studied by laser ultrasonics both theoretically and experimentally. The theoretical analysis of the two-dimensional acoustic field excited by a pulsed laser line source impacting on the generatrix of an elastic cylinder is presented. The dispersive properties for both cylindrical Rayleigh wave and the higher modes--whispering gallery (WG) modes are analyzed in detail. The numerical transient displacement waveforms for a detecting point located another terminal of the cylinder diameter opposite the source are calculated. The experimental excitation and detection of the acoustic waves in an aluminum cylinder are carried out on a laser ultrasonic system, which mainly consists of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and a laser interferometer. The wave components of bulk waves and surface waves (cylindrical Rayleigh waves and WG modes) are analyzed by comparing the numerical and experimental waveforms. The results are in good agreement.     

Quantum electrodynamics in three-dimensionally periodic structures

Abstract

Recently, the possibility of obtaining ISE in spectral bands of forbidden light propagation (photonic bandgaps) has been suggested by Yablonovitch.¹ These bandgaps are spectral regions admitting only complex wavevectors k (evanescent waves) in any direction, and boundecl by frequencies ω_max((min) at which the dispersion curve ω(k) becomes discontinuous. Because they are associated with definite k (band edges), such hndgaps are delocalized in space, i.e., they inhibit spontaneous emission independently of t.he spatial distribution of emitters in the system. The systems that have been proposed¹ for the demonstration of bandgaps are dielectric superlattices that exhibit strong three-dimensional (3D) periodic moclulations of the dielectric index with a period comparable to half the emission wavelength.     

Quantum proximity resonances

The zero-range potential approximation is used to show that quantum proximity resonances discussed recently by Heller [Phys. Rev. Lett. 77 (1996) 4122] may also occur in the absence of single-scatterer resonances. It is argued that for two identical scatterers a resonant structure appears in the Σ_u-wave rather than in the P-wave partial cross section.     

Quantum electrodynamics in the temporal gauge

We canonically quantize electrodynamics in the temporal gauge A₀ = 0. Realizing commutation relations in a Hilbert space containing unphysical longitudinal photons, we pay special attention to the implementation of Gauss's law and the attendant normalization difficulties for physical states. We then formulate the perturbation series and explicitly exhibit equivalence with the standard textbook treatment of the Coulomb gauge.     

Quantum electrodynamics as a supersymmetric theory of Loops

It is shown that the Wilson loop is not a renormalizable operator even in free QED. A modification is suggested and proven to be renormalizable. Feynman's worldline formulation of QED is generalized to include spinning particles and matter loops, using this modified Wilson loop. QED formulated this way is shown to have a supersymmetry. A superfield formalism is found that describes it. QED is rewritten as a second quantized field theory of loop functionals.     

Quantum electrodynamics for vector mesons

Quantum electrodynamics for rho mesons is considered. It is shown that, at the tree level, the value of the gyromagnetic ratio of the rho+ is fixed to 2 in a self-consistent effective quantum field theory. Further, the mixing parameter of the photon and the neutral vector meson is equal to the ratio of electromagnetic and strong couplings, leading to the mass difference M(rho0)-M(rho+/-) approximately 1 MeV at tree order.     

Quantum electrodynamics at finite temperature

We present a systematic examination of finite temperature effects in quantum electrodynamics at one loop order. We calculate mass, charge, and wavefunction renormalization, demonstrate the running of the coupling constant at high temperatures, and study the renormalized vertex function and the energy momentum tensor. The confusion in the literature concerning the finite temperature corrections to the electron's magnetic moment is resolved. We also present the finite temperature effects in scalar electrodynamics. Throughout we stress the need to provide a well-defined method to observe a given quantity when interpreting the results of a calculation, and we suggest new techniques which incorporate the novel features of finite temperature theories.