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Particle acceleration by large-amplitude waves revisited

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 1997

R. PAKTER
Affiliation:
Present address: Instituto de Física, Universidade de São Paulo, PO Box 66318, 05389-970 São Paulo, Brasil. Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, PO Box 15051, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil
G. CORSO
Affiliation:
Present address: Instituto de Física, Universidade de São Paulo, PO Box 66318, 05389-970 São Paulo, Brasil. Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, PO Box 15051, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil
F. B. RIZZATO
Affiliation:
Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, PO Box 15051, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

Abstract

We reconsider the problem of particle acceleration by large-amplitude electromagnetic waves. We make use of a fully relativistic Hamiltonian formalism to show that, as opposed to nonelativistic results obtained by Kuo and Lee, acceleration in unmagnetized systems is severely arrested when the phase velocity of the electromagnetic mode approaches the speed of light. For subluminal waves, however, acceleration is shown to be still effective.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
1997 Cambridge University Press

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