Quantum radiation from a classical point source

Abstract

We study the radiation of photons from a classical charged particle. We particularly consider a situation where the particle has a constant velocity in the distant past, then is accelerated, and then has a constant velocity in the distant future. Starting with no photons in the distant past we seek to characterize the quantum state of the photon field in the distant future. Working in the Coulomb gauge and in a [Formula: see text]-algebra formulation, we give sharp conditions on whether this state is or is not in Fock space.