Electromagnetic wave collapse in a radiation background.
The nonlinear interaction, due to quantum electrodynamical (QED) effects between an electromagnetic pulse and a radiation background, is investigated by combining the methods of radiation hydrodynamics with the QED theory for photon-photon scattering. For the case of a single coherent electromagnetic pulse, we obtain a Zakharov-like system, where the radiation pressure of the pulse acts as a driver of acoustic waves in the photon gas. For a sufficiently intense pulse and/or background energy density, there is focusing and the subsequent collapse of the pulse. The relevance of our results for various astrophysical applications are discussed.
Marklund
Mattias
M
Department of Electromagnetics, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden.
Brodin
Gert
G
Stenflo
Lennart
L