Cooling of relativistic electron beams in intense laser pulses: Chirps and radiation

Next-generation high-power laser facilities (such as the Extreme Light Infrastructure) will provide unprecedented field intensities, and will allow us to probe qualitatively new physical regimes for the first time. One of the important fundamental questions which will be addressed is particle dynamics when radiation reaction and quantum effects play a significant role. Classical theories of radiation reaction predict beam cooling in the interaction of a relativistic electron bunch and a high-intensity laser pulse, with final-state properties only dependent on the laser fluence. The observed quantum suppression of this cooling instead exhibits a dependence on the laser intensity directly. This offers the potential for final-state properties to be modified or even controlled by tailoring the intensity profile of the laser pulse. In addition to beam properties, quantum effects will be manifest in the emitted radiation spectra, which could be manipulated for use as radiation sources. We compare predictions made by classical, quasi-classical and stochastic theories of radiation reaction, and investigate the influence of chirped laser pulses on the observed radiation spectra. - Highlights: • Classical theories of radiation reaction predict electron beam cooling in high fields. • Quantum effects lead to a reduction in electron beam cooling. • Quasi-classical model agrees with predictions from a single-emission stochastic model. • Negative frequency chirp found to increase photon emission, but not maximum energy.