Particle Refraction, Reflection and Channeling by Laser Beams

Abstract

It is shown that the charged particles are refracted and reflected on the boundary of field free and laser field regions in vacuum. Simple and transparent estimates are given which show the possibility of channeling of charged and neutral particles having polarizability by strong electromagnetic field of certain laser bunches just as by the field of orientated crystalline planes and axes. These processes can be applied for production of femtosecond sliced electron bunches, for measurement their length and particle distribution as well as for production of femtosecond X-ray and terahertz pulses using transition, channeling and other types of radiation.