English

Towards precision quantitative measurement of radiation reaction within the classical radiation-dominated regime

Optics 2026-01-19 v1 Plasma Physics

Abstract

Radiation reaction (RR) is a fundamental yet incompletely validated process in laser-particle interactions, since it lacks quantitatively definitive experimental verifications, especially the transition from classical to quantum regime. Herein, we propose a novel experimental scenario for investigating radiation RR within the classical radiation-dominated regime (CRDR), via the collision of a high-intensity petawatt-class laser with a tens-of-MeV electron beam from a LINAC. This approach enables access to a distinct parameter regime wherein RR dominates electron dynamics while quantum effects remain modest. Numerical simulations demonstrate that three key observables exist for identifying the RR within this CRDR regime: (i) quantitative measurement of energy spectra to validate the quantum correction factor; (ii) control of the collision time delay with charge-counting to map intensity dependence of RR; and (iii) verification of large angle (9090^\circ) photon emission under the recoil condition 2γa02\gamma \gtrsim a_0. These experimental measurements will establish the benchmarks for RR models spanning the classical-to-quantum regime, thereby providing critical insights into fundamental strong-field quantum electrodynamics.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2601.10728,
  title  = {Towards precision quantitative measurement of radiation reaction within the classical radiation-dominated regime},
  author = {Minghao Ma and Ke Liu and Ge Zhou and Zhida Yang and Yulin Xin and Jiadong Yang and Pengfei Zhu and Yipeng Wu and Min Chen and Tongpu Yu and Wenchao Yan and Jie Zhang},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.10728},
  year   = {2026}
}