Nonlinear Light
Propagation Characteristics of very high intensity Light
This work seeks an answer to the fundamental question – What does relativistic intensity light look like when it propagates in a medium of very high energy constituents? We find that, instead of the somewhat drab sinusoidal waveform for ordinary low intensity light, the propagating wave form of high intensity light is spectacular. Rich in harmonics of an appropriately reduced frequency, it evokes a complex musical note rather than the monotonous pitch of a tuning fork.
The eye-catching structure of light revealed in this study is a profound expression of two strongly interacting nonlinear systems: a plasma that is strongly affected by the propagating light, and a light wave that, in turn, is radically transformed by the plasma. Despite the complexity of the model system, one can analyze and predict the essential structure of “Nonlinear Light” that is so visibly striking in numerical simulations.
Since we have extracted, analytically, crucial signatures of its rich spectrum, this work may equip us to revisit and reinterpret (even suggest) laboratory experiments.