Spin effects in strong-field laser-electron interactions

TL;DR

This paper investigates how electron spin influences various relativistic laser-electron interactions, demonstrating that spin can significantly affect process outcomes and probabilities through detailed Dirac equation calculations.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of electron spin effects in strong-field laser interactions, comparing Dirac and Klein-Gordon results to highlight spin's role.

Findings

Spin impacts the probability of pair production processes.

Dirac and Klein-Gordon predictions differ notably when spin is considered.

Spin-resolved calculations reveal characteristic effects on scattering and pair production.

Abstract

The electron spin degree of freedom can play a significant role in relativistic scattering processes involving intense laser fields. In this contribution we discuss the influence of the electron spin on (i) Kapitza-Dirac scattering in an x-ray laser field of high intensity, (ii) photo-induced electron-positron pair production in a strong laser wave and (iii) multiphoton electron-positron pair production on an atomic nucleus. We show that in all cases under consideration the electron spin can have a characteristic impact on the process properties and their total probabilities. To this end, spin-resolved calculations based on the Dirac equation in the presence of an intense laser field are performed. The predictions from Dirac theory are also compared with the corresponding results from the Klein-Gordon equation.