Cyclotron radiation from shaped electron wavefunctions

Abstract

Recent years have shown increasing interest in understanding the role of the wavefunction of a quantum source on the characteristics of its emitted radiation. In this work, we demonstrate that shaping the wavefunction of the source can drastically change the instantaneous emission. We exemplify this concept by examining an electron in cyclotron motion, calculating the angular power distribution of emission by an electron in a Schrodinger cat state. The emitted cyclotron radiation reveals a breakdown of classical–quantum correspondence. The short-time dynamics of the radiation process shows deviations in the power and electron trajectory that disappear at long times, where the predictions of classical electrodynamics are recovered.