Quantum radiation by electrons in lasers and the Unruh effect

R. Schützhold; C. Maia

doi:10.1140/epjd/e2009-00038-4

EPJ

a
b
d
e
ap
st
h
plus

2019 Impact factor 1.366

Atomic, Molecular, Optical and Plasma Physics

Eur. Phys. J. D 55, 375-378 (2009)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2009-00038-4

Quantum radiation by electrons in lasers and the Unruh effect^*

R. Schützhold^a and C. Maia

Fachbereich Physik, Universität Duisburg-Essen, 47048 Duisburg, Germany

Corresponding author: ^a ralf.schuetzhold@uni-due.de

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