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Analytical theory of coherent radiation and radiation friction in laser-plasma collisions

E. G. Gelfer1,*, A. M. Fedotov2,3, M. P. Malakhov2,4, Th. Benahmed1,†, J. Custodio1, O. Klimo1,5, and S. Weber1

  • *Contact author: egelfer@gmail.com
  • †Present address: Deutsches Elektronen–Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany.
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Phys. Rev. E 114, 025209 – Published 27 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/wv25-1w9h

Abstract

We develop an analytical theory of coherent (scaled quadratically with the number of particles) radiation and coherent radiation friction in a head-on collision of a dense charged particle bunch with an intense laser pulse. We demonstrate that the low-frequency coherent radiation in the forward and backward directions dominates the energy-momentum losses of a mildly relativistic bunch and can result in a substantial enhancement of the overall radiation friction as compared to the incoherent case. We derive the scaling laws for the average momentum losses of the bunch over the collision with respect to laser intensity, pulse duration, and particle bunch parameters, and show their robustness with respect to laser polarization and the shape of the particle distribution in the bunch.

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Coherently Enhanced Radiation Friction in Laser-Plasma Collisions

E. G. Gelfer, A. M. Fedotov, M. P. Malakhov, O. Klimo, and S. Weber
Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 095001 (2026)

Article Text

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Phys. Rev. E 114, 025209– Published 27 August, 2026
  • Received 5 May 2026
  • Accepted 30 June 2026
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