Harmonic generation by superintense light scattering from relativistic electrons

Relativistic harmonic generation by the scattering of very-high-intensity laser light from fast free electrons is investigated theoretically. A general solution for the trajectory of an electron, moving initially with an arbitrary velocity in a light pulse of arbitrary intensity and polarization, is presented. This solution generalizes the classical analysis of Eberly [Progress in Optics, edited by E. Wolf (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1969), Vol. 7] and that of Sarachik and Schappert [Phys. Rev. D 1, 2738 (1970)] for the trajectory of an electron initially at rest. The result is then applied to the case of effective harmonic generation in a monochromatic, circularly polarized field under three different initial conditions for the electron, namely, (a) electron initially at rest, (b) electron initially moving in the direction of light propagation (and opposite to it), and (c) electron initially crossing the radiation beam at right angles. Angular distributions of the harmonics generated by the scattering process are presented in terms of the power scattering cross section in each case. Effects of increasing the light intensity and/or the initial electron speed and/or direction on the angular distributions are discussed. It is found, among other results, that at laser intensities higher than, say 10¹⁸ W/cm², the low-order harmonics are suppressed while the higher-order harmonics are enhanced. © 1996 The American Physical Society.