https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2009-00038-4
Quantum radiation by electrons in lasers and the Unruh effect*
Fachbereich Physik, Universität Duisburg-Essen, 47048 Duisburg, Germany
Corresponding author: a This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Received:
19
November
2008
Published online:
13
March
2009
Abstract
In addition to the Larmor radiation known from classical electrodynamics, electrons in a laser field may emit pairs of entangled photons – which is a pure quantum effect. We investigate this quantum effect and discuss why it is suppressed in comparison with the classical Larmor radiation (which is just Thomson backscattering of the laser photons). Further, we provide an intuitive explanation of this process (in a simplified setting) in terms of the Unruh effect.
PACS: 04.62.+v – Quantum field theory in curved spacetime / 12.20.Fv – Experimental tests / 41.60.-m – Radiation by moving charges / 42.50.Dv – Quantum state engineering and measurements
This work was supported by the DFG under grant SCHU 1557/1-2,3 (Emmy-Noether program) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The authors acknowledge the support by the European Commission under contract ELI pp 212105 in the framework of the program FP7 Infrastructures-2007-1.
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2009
