Determination of the carrier envelope phase for short, circularly polarized laser pulses

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the carrier envelope phase influences scattering processes in ultra-short laser pulses, proposing a method to determine the phase from observable scattering patterns.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the azimuthal angle distribution of scattered electrons reveals the carrier envelope phase, offering a new technique for phase measurement in ultra-short laser pulses.

Findings

Differential cross sections show a bump structure aligned with the carrier phase.

The bump position in the azimuthal distribution can be used to determine the carrier phase.

The method provides a potential experimental approach for phase measurement.

Abstract

We analyze the impact of the carrier envelope phase on the differential cross sections of the Breit-Wheeler and the generalized Compton scattering in the interaction of a charged electron (positron) with an intensive ultra-short electromagnetic (laser) pulse. The differential cross sections as a function of the azimuthal angle of the outgoing electron have a clear bump structure, where the bump position coincides with the value of the carrier phase. This effect can be used for the carrier envelope phase determination.