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arXiv · 1504.02393

Attosecond gamma-ray pulses via nonlinear Compton scattering in the radiation dominated regime

Jian-Xing Li·Karen Z. Hatsagortsyan·Benjamin J. Galow·Christoph H. Keitel
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Abstract

The feasibility of generation of bright ultrashort gamma-ray pulses is demonstrated in the interaction of a relativistic electron bunch with a counterpropagating tightly-focused superstrong laser beam in the radiation dominated regime. The Compton scattering spectra of gamma-radiation are investigated using a semiclassical description for the electron dynamics in the laser field and a quantum electrodynamical description for the photon emission. We demonstrate the feasibility of ultrashort gamma-ray bursts of hundreds of attoseconds and of dozens of megaelectronvolt photon energies in the near-backwards direction of the initial electron motion. The tightly focused laser field structure and radiation reaction are shown to be responsible for such short gamma-ray bursts which are independent of the durations of the electron bunch and of the laser pulse. The results are measurable with the laser technology available in a near-future.

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Jian-Xing Li, Karen Z. Hatsagortsyan, Benjamin J. Galow, Christoph H. Keitel. 2015-04-09. Attosecond gamma-ray pulses via nonlinear Compton scattering in the radiation dominated regime. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.115.204801

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