On plane waves in diluted relativistic cold plasmas

TL;DR

This paper discusses exact solutions for plane electromagnetic waves in relativistic cold plasmas, analyzing plasma response to intense laser pulses and conditions for the slingshot effect, with implications for particle motion in vacuum.

Contribution

It provides exact results and an iterative approach for plasma wave interactions, extending understanding of plasma dynamics under intense laser irradiation.

Findings

Exact solutions for plasma response to plane waves.

Conditions for the slingshot effect in plasma.

Charged particle motion in vacuum under similar waves.

Abstract

We briefly report on some exact results [G. Fiore, arXiv:1312.4665 preprint, to appear in J. Phys. A] regarding plane waves in a relativistic cold plasma. If the plasma, initially at rest, is reached by a transverse plane electromagnetic travelling-wave, then its motion has a very simple dependence on this wave in the limit of zero density, otherwise can be determined by an iterative procedure whose accuracy decreases with time or the plasma density. Thus one can describe in particular the impact of a very intense and short laser pulse onto a plasma and determine conditions for the "slingshot effect" [G. Fiore, R. Fedele, U. De Angelis, arXiv:1309.1400 preprint] to occur. The motion in vacuum of a charged test particle subject to a wave of the same kind is also determined, for any initial velocity.