Damping of electromagnetic waves due to electron-positron pair production.
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.
Bulanov
S S
SS
Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, 117218 Moscow, Russia. bulanov@heron.itep.ru
Fedotov
A M
AM
Pegoraro
F
F