Interaction of a Circularly Polarized Laser Pulse with Free Electrons

Abstract

The interaction of an intense, circularly polarized, electromagnetic wave of finite duration with a free electron is analyzed classically. The effects of radiative reaction and intensity gradients in smoothly varying pulses are treated relativistically. It is shown that the effect of radiative reaction is to impart to the electron a final energy which depends only on the energy per unit area carried by the wave.