Abstract
Electrodynamics becomes nonlinear and permits the self-interaction of fields when the quantized nature of vacuum states is taken into account. The effect on a plane probe pulse propagating through a stronger constant crossed background is calculated using numerical simulation and by analytically solving the corresponding wave equation. The electromagnetic shock resulting from vacuum high-harmonic generation is investigated and a nonlinear shock parameter identified.
9 More- Received 24 March 2015
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.92.032115
©2015 American Physical Society