Investigation of classical radiation reaction with aligned crystals

TL;DR

This paper proposes an experimental setup using 30 GeV electrons in a diamond crystal to test the classical radiation reaction effects predicted by the Landau-Lifshitz equation, which has not been experimentally verified before.

Contribution

It demonstrates the feasibility of measuring classical radiation reaction effects in electron-crystal interactions using current accelerator facilities.

Findings

Radiation reaction effects can be observed in the energy emission spectrum.

The proposed setup is feasible at CERN's beamlines.

The Landau-Lifshitz equation predictions can be tested experimentally.

Abstract

Classical radiation reaction is the effect of the electromagnetic field emitted by an accelerated electric charge on the motion of the charge itself. The self-consistent underlying classical equation of motion including radiation-reaction effects, the Landau-Lifshitz equation, has never been tested experimentally, in spite of the first theoretical treatments of radiation reaction having been developed more than a century ago. Here we show that classical radiation reaction effects, in particular those due to the near electromagnetic field, as predicted by the Landau-Lifshitz equation, can be measured in principle using presently available facilities, in the energy emission spectrum of $30\text{-}\text{GeV}$ electrons crossing a $0.55$-$\text{mm}$ thick diamond crystal in the axial channeling regime. Our theoretical results indicate the feasibility of the suggested setup, e.g., at the CERN Secondary Beam Areas (SBA) beamlines.