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arXiv · 1311.5793

A Threshold for Laser-Driven Linear Particle Acceleration in Unbounded Vacuum

Liang Jie Wong·Franz X. Kärtner
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Abstract

We hypothesize that a charged particle in unbounded vacuum can be substantially accelerated by a force linear in the electric field of a propagating electromagnetic wave only if the accelerating field is capable of bringing the particle to a relativistic energy in its initial rest frame during the interaction. We consequently derive a general formula for the acceleration threshold of such schemes and support our conclusion with the results of numerical simulations over a broad range of parameters for different kinds of pulsed laser beams.

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Liang Jie Wong, Franz X. Kärtner. 2013-11-22. A Threshold for Laser-Driven Linear Particle Acceleration in Unbounded Vacuum. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3664226

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