Nonlinear Compton scattering in a quantized pump field
Phys. Rev. D 114, 074041 – Published 19 October, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/6dtf-xl8m
Abstract
We develop a fully quantized theory of nonlinear Compton scattering driven by a single-mode quantum field. Exact quantum-Volkov states retain pump depletion, backaction, and final-state correlations through displaced or squeezed-displaced Fock-state ladders. A finite Fock-state pump produces discrete photon-transfer edges and a terminal spectral cutoff. In the bright, weakly depleted regime, the exact theory reduces to a Wigner-function weighted-average of scattering probabilities evaluated at fixed complex field amplitudes, with ordinary and generalized Bessel functions describing the harmonic structure for circular and linear polarization, respectively. For squeezed coherent light, the squeezing angle controls the high-energy emission through photon-number fluctuations.
