title: Damping of electromagnetic waves due to electron-positron pair production.
abstract: The problem of the back reaction during the process of electron-positron pair production by a circularly polarized electromagnetic wave propagating in a plasma is investigated. A model based on the relativistic Boltzmann-Vlasov equation with a source term representing the Schwinger formula for the pair creation rate is used. The damping of the wave, the nonlinear up-shift of its frequency due to the plasma density increase, and the effect of the damping on the wave polarization and on the background plasma acceleration are investigated as a function of the wave amplitude.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, 117218 Moscow, Russia. bulanov@heron.itep.ru
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Bulanov
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fedotov
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pegoraro