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Basic premises, approximations, and results of L.V. Keldysh’s 1964 work on multiphoton ionization of atoms are discussed, as well as its influence on the modern science of the interaction of atomic–molecular systems with a strong laser field.
The conditions for resonant wave amplification in a plasma with a ring-beam distribution which is intended to model pick-up ions in a cometary environment are investigated. The inclination between the interplanetary field and the solar wind is found to play a crucial role in governing both the resonant frequency and the growth rate of any unstable mode. It is suggested that the low-frequency MHD mode should experience the most rapid amplification for intermediate inclination. In the frame of the solar wind, such waves should propagate along the field in the direction upstream toward the sun with a phase speed lower than the beaming velocity of the pick-up ions. This mechanism may account for the presence of the interior MHD waves noted by satellites over a region surrounding comets Giacobini-Zinner and Halley.
The coupling of a finite-length, field-aligned, ion beam with a uniform background plasma is investigated using one-dimensional hybrid computer simulations. The finite-length beam is used to study the interaction between the incident solar wind and ions reflected from the earth's quasi-parallel bow shock, where the reflection process may vary with time. The coupling between the reflected ions and the solar wind is relevant to ion heating at the bow shock and possibly to the formation of hot, flow anomalies and re-formation of the shock itself. Consistent with linear theory, the waves which dominate the interaction are the electromagnetic right-hand polarized resonant and nonresonant modes. However, in addition to the instability growth rates, the length of time that the waves are in contact with the beam is also an important factor in determining which wave mode will dominate the interaction. It is found that interaction will result in strong coupling, where a significant fraction of the available free energy is converted into thermal energy in a short time, provided the beam is sufficiently dense or sufficiently long.
The Casimir force is a universal interaction induced by electromagnetic quantum fluctuations between any types of objects. We found that the expansion of the graphene family by adding silicene, germanene and stanene (2D allotropes of Si, Ge, and Sn), lends itself as a platform to probe Dirac-like physics in honeycomb staggered systems in such a ubiquitous interaction. Here, we discover Casimir force phase transitions between these staggered 2D materials induced by the complex interplay between Dirac physics, spin-orbit coupling and externally applied fields. Particularly, we find that the interaction energy experiences different power law distance decays, magnitudes and dependences on characteristic physical constants. Furthermore, due to the topological properties of these materials, repulsive and quantized Casimir interactions become possible.
Induced amplification of extraordinary-mode electromagnetic waves in a magnetized plasma is investigated. The analysis is performed for a plasma which consists of two components: a relatively dense species of thermal plasma and a diffuse population of suprathermal electrons characterized by a loss cone-type distribution. The excitation mechanism is primarily due to the interaction of the electromagnetic waves with the energetic electrons via the relativistic cyclotron resonance which arises because of the momentum dependence of the gyrofrequency. The present study is particularly concerned with waves propagating perpendicularly and nearly perpendicularly with respect to the external magnetic field, since it is expected that for these cases the cyclotron damping due to thermal electrons is vanishingly small and the growth rates are maximum. The results indicate that excitation occurs primarily for frequencies near the first two gyroharmonics.
We explore a recently proposed effective field theory describing electromagnetically or gravitationally interacting massive particles in an expansion about their mass ratio, also known as the self-force (SF) expansion. By integrating out the deviation of the heavy particle about its inertial trajectory, we obtain an effective action whose only degrees of freedom are the lighter particle together with the photon or graviton, all propagating in a Coulomb or Schwarzschild background. The 0SF dynamics are described by the usual background field method, which at 1SF is supplemented by a “recoil operator” that encodes the wobble of the heavy particle, and similarly computable corrections appearing at 2SF and higher. Our formalism exploits the fact that the analytic expressions for classical backgrounds and particle trajectories encode dynamical information to all orders in the couplings, and from them we extract multiloop integrands for perturbative scattering. As a check, we study the two-loop classical scattering of scalar particles in electromagnetism and gravity, verifying known results. We then present new calculations for the two-loop classical scattering of dyons, and of particles interacting with an additional scalar or vector field coupling directly to the lighter particle but only gravitationally to the heavier particle.
Humans have always attempted to understand the mystery of Nature, and more recently physicists have established theories to describe the observed phenomena. The most recent theory is a gauge quantum field theory framework, called Standard Model (SM), which proposes a model comprised of elementary matter particles and interaction particles which are fundamental force carriers in the most unified way. The Standard Model contains the internal symmetries of the unitary product group SU(3) c ⓍSU(2) L Ⓧ U(1) Y , describes the electromagnetic, weak and strong interactions; the model also describes how quarks interact with each other through all of these three interactions, how leptons interact with each other through electromagnetic and weak forces, and how force carriers mediate the fundamental interactions.
This paper is devoted to the mechanism of particle acceleration via resonant interaction with the electromagnetic circular wave propagating along the inhomogeneous background magnetic field in the presence of a plasma flow. We consider the system where the plasma flow velocity is large enough to change the direction of wave propagation in the rest frame. This system mimics a magnetic field configuration typical for inner structure of a quasi-parallel shock wave. We consider conditions of gyroresonant interaction when the force corresponding to an inhomogeneity of the background magnetic field is compensated by the Lorentz force of the wave-magnetic field. The wave-amplitude is assumed to be about 10% of the background magnetic field. We show that particles can gain energy if kv{sub sw}>ω>kv{sub sw}−Ω{sub c} where k is the wave number, v{sub sw} is a plasma flow velocity, and ω and Ω{sub c} are the wave frequency and the particle gyrofrequency, respectively. This mechanism of acceleration resembles the gyrosurfing mechanism, but the effect of the electrostatic field is replaced by the effect of the magnetic field inhomogeneity.
Highly sensitive receivers are used to detect minute amounts of emitted electromagnetic energy. Calibration of these receivers is vital to the accuracy of the measurements. Traditional calibration techniques depend on calibration reference internal to the receivers as reference for the calibration of the observed electromagnetic energy. Such methods can only calibrate errors in measurement introduced by the receiver only. The disadvantage of these existing methods is that they cannot account for errors introduced by devices, such as antennas, used for capturing electromagnetic radiation. This severely limits the types of antennas that can be used to make measurements with a high degree of accuracy. Complex antenna systems, such as electronically steerable antennas (also known as phased arrays), while offering potentially significant advantages, suffer from a lack of a reliable and accurate calibration technique. The proximity of antenna elements in an array results in interaction between the electromagnetic fields radiated (or received) by the individual elements. This phenomenon is called mutual coupling. The new calibration method uses a known noise source as a calibration load to determine the instantaneous characteristics of the antenna. The noise source is emitted from one element of the antenna array and received by all the other elements due to mutual coupling. This received noise is used as a calibration standard to monitor the stability of the antenna electronics.
Optical stochastic cooling (OSC) is expected to enable fast cooling of dense particle beams. Transition from microwave to optical frequencies enables an achievement of stochastic cooling rates which are orders of magnitude higher than ones achievable with the classical microwave based stochastic cooling systems. A subsystemcritical to the OSC scheme is the focusing optics used to image radiation from the upstream “pickup” undulator to the downstream “kicker” undulator. In this paper, we present simulation results using wave-optics calculation carried out with the Synchrotron Radiation Workshop (SRW). Our simulations are performed in support to a proof-of-principle experiment planned at the Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) at Fermilab. The calculations provide an estimate of the energy kick received by a 100-MeV electron as it propagates in the kicker undulator and interacts with the electromagnetic pulse it radiated at an earlier time while traveling through the pickup undulator.
A classical model for laser action is discussed, in which an active medium consisting of anharmonic oscillators interacts with an electromagnetic field in a resonant cavity. Comparison with the case of a medium consisting of harmonic oscillators shows the significance of nonlinearities for producing self-sustained oscillations in the radiation field. A theoretical model is presented for the pressure dependence of the intensity of a gas laser, in which only velocity-changing collisions with foreign gas atoms are included. A collision model for hard sphere, repulsive interactions was derived. Collision theory was applied to a third-order expansion of the polarization in powers of the cavity electric field (weak signal theory).
In recent years, a revised set of solar abundances has led to a discrepancy in the sound-speed profile between helioseismology and theoretical solar models. Conventional solutions require additional mechanisms for energy transport within the Sun. Vincent et al. have recently suggested that dark matter with a momentum or velocity dependent cross section could provide a solution. In this work, we consider three models of dark matter with such cross sections and their effect on the stellar structure. In particular, the three models incorporate dark matter particles interacting through an electromagnetic dipole moment: an electric dipole, a magnetic dipole or an anapole. Each model is implemented in the DarkStec stellar evolution program, which incorporates the effects of dark matter capture and heat transport within the solar interior. We show that dark matter with an anapole moment of ∼ 1 GeV{sup −2} or magnetic dipole moment of ∼ 10{sup −3}μ {sub p} can improve the sound-speed profile, small frequency separations and convective zone radius with respect to the Standard Solar Model. However, the required dipole moments are strongly excluded by direct detection experiments.
The phononic Casimir effect between planar objects is investigated by deriving a formalism from the quantum partition function of the system following multiscattering approach. This fluctuation-induced coupling is mediated by phonons modeled as an effective elastic medium. We find that excitations with three types of polarizations arise from the resolved boundary conditions, however the coupling is dominated by only one of these degrees of freedom due to exponential suppression effects in the other two. Here, the obtained scaling laws and dependence on materials properties and temperature suggest effective pathways of interaction control. Scenarios of materials combinations are envisioned where the phononic Casimir effect is of similar order as the standard Casimir interaction mediated by electromagnetic fluctuations.
We prove that the analytical expression of the intensity of the relativistic Thomson scattered field for a system composed of an electron interacting with a plane electromagnetic field can be written in the form of a composite periodic function of only one variable, that is, the phase of the incident field. This property is proved without using any approximation in the most general case in which the field is elliptically polarized, the initial phase of the incident field and the initial velocity of the electron are taken into consideration, and the direction in which the radiation is scattered is arbitrary. This property leads to an exact method for calculating the angular and spectral distributions of the scattered field, which reveals a series of physical details of these distributions, such as their dependence on the components of the initial electron velocity. Since the phase of the field is a relativistic invariant, it follows that the periodicity property is also valid when the analysis is made in the inertial system in which the initial velocity of the electron is zero in the case of interactions between very intense electromagnetic fields and relativistic electrons. Consequently, the calculation method can be used for the evaluation of properties of backscattered hard radiations generated by this type of interaction. The theoretical evaluations presented in this paper are in good agreement with the experimental data from literature.
The problem of infrared divergence of the effective electromagnetic field produced by elementary charges is revisited using the model of an electron freely evolving in a photon bath. It is shown that for any finite travel time, the effective field of the electron is infrared-finite, and that at each order of perturbation theory the radiative contributions grow unboundedly with time. Using the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism, factorization of divergent contributions in multi-loop diagrams is proved, and summation of the resulting infinite series is performed. It is found that despite the unbounded growth of individual contributions to the effective field, their sum is bounded, tending to zero in the limit of infinite travel time. It is concluded that the physical meaning of infrared singularity in the effective field is the existence of a peculiar irreversible spreading of electric charges, caused by their interaction with the electromagnetic field. This spreading originates from the quantum electromagnetic fluctuations, rather than the electron-photon scattering, and exists in vacuum as well as at finite temperatures. It shows itself in a damping of the off-diagonal elements of the momentum-space density matrix of electron, but does not affect its momentum probability distribution. This effect is discussed in terms of thermalization of the electron state, and the asymptotic growth of its quantum entropy is determined. Relationship of the obtained results to the Bloch-Nordsieck theorem is established and considered from the standpoint of measurability of the electromagnetic field. The effect of irreversible spreading on the electron diffraction in the classic two-slit experiment is determined, and is shown to be detectable in principle by modern devices already at room temperature. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Infrared finiteness of the effective electromagnetic field of a free electron is proved. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Quantum radiative effects result in an irreversible spreading of free electrons. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The irreversible spreading produces a detectable effect on the electron interference.
We describe the RF Quantum Upconverter (RQU) and describe its application to quantum metrology of electromagnetic modes between dc and the Very High Frequency band (VHF) (≲300MHz). The RQU uses a Josephson interferometer made up of superconducting loops and Josephson junctions to implement a parametric interaction between a low-frequency electromagnetic mode (between dc and VHF) and a mode in the microwave C Band (~ 5GHz), analogous to the radiation pressure interaction between electromagnetic and mechanical modes in cavity optomechanics. The RQU can operate as a quantum-limited op-amp, or use protocols from optomechanics to implement non-classical measurement protocols equivalent to those used in cavity optomechanics, including back-action evading (BAE) measurements, sideband cooling, and two-mode squeezing. Furthermore, these protocols enable experiments using dc-VHF electromagnetic modes as quantum sensors.
The physics of the strong interaction is undoubtedly one of the most challenging areas of modern science. Quantum ChromoDynamics (QCD) is reproducing successfully the physics phenomena at distances much shorter than the size of the nucleon, where perturbation theory can be used yielding results of high precision and predictive power. At larger distance scales, however, perturbative methods cannot be applied anymore, although spectacular phenomena, such as the generation of hadron masses and quark confinement, occur. Studies using charmed quarks and gluon-rich matter have the potential to connect the perturbative and the non-perturbative QCD region. The annihilation of matter with antimatter in the mass regime of charmonium is an ideal environment to discover new states or transitions that could reveal the secrets of the strong interaction. Hadronic and electromagnetic transitions between charmonium states and their decays have been measured with a world-record in precision with the BESIII spectrometer at the electron-positron collider at IHEP Beijing, China. Moreover, unconventional narrow charmonium-rich states have been discovered recently in an energy regime above the open-charm threshold, thereby, possibly initiating a new era in charmonium spectroscopy. The near future experiment, PANDA, at the research facility FAIR in Germany, Darmstadt, will exploit the annihilation of cooled anti-protons with protons to perform charmonium spectroscopy with an incredible precision. I will present the most promising results that have been recently obtained with BESIII together with the future perspectives of PANDA in the field of charmonium spectroscopy.
Observation of electron plasma waves excited inside high power ({approx}10 kW) short pulse ({approx}20 {mu}s) electromagnetic (em) waves interacting with a gaseous medium (argon) in the pressure range 0.2-2.5 mTorr is reported. The waves have long wavelength ({approx}13 cm) and get damped at time scales slower ({approx}3 {mu}s) than the plasma period (0.1-0.3 {mu}s), the energy conveyed to the medium lead to intense ionization (ion density n{sub i} {approx} 10{sup 11} cm{sup -3} and electron temperature T{sub e} {approx} 6-8 eV) and rapid growth of the plasma ({approx}10{sup 5} s{sup -1}) beyond the waves. Time frequency analysis of the generated oscillations indicate the presence of two principal frequencies centered around 3.8 MHz and 13.0 MHz with a spread {Delta}f {approx} 4 MHz, representing primarily two population of electrons in the plasma wave. The experimental results are in reasonable agreement with a model that considers spatiotemporal forces of the em wave on the medium, space charges and diffusion.