On the possibility of averaging the equations of an electron motion in the intense laser radiation

Abstract

The problem of averaging of the relativistic motion equations of electron in the intense laser radiation, caused by the decreasing of the rate of wave phase change due to the Dopplers effect, is considered. As a result the phase can go from the fast to slow variables of the motion, so averaging over the phase becomes impossible. An analysis is presented of the conditions which are necessary for averaging of the relativistic equations of motion over the fast phase of the intense laser radiation on the base of the general principles of the averaging method. Laser radiation is considered in the paraxial approximation, where the ratio of the laser beam waist to the Rayleigh length is accepted as a small parameter. It is supposed that the laser pulse duration is of the order if the laser beam waist. In this case first-order corrections to the vectors of the laser pulse field should be taken into account. The general criterion for the possibility of the averaging of the relativistic motion equations of electron in the intense laser radiation is obtained. It is shown that an averaged description of the relativistic motion of an electron is possible in the case of a fairly moderate (relativistic) intensity and relatively wide laser beams. The known in the literature analogical criterion has been obtained earlier on the base of the numerical results.