Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Interaction of coherent electromagnetic waves with relativistic electrons in a medium

Nature volume 250, pages 643–645 (1974)Cite this article

A Corrigendum to this article was published on 11 October 1974

Abstract

A MECHANISM is proposed here for producing coherent photons by the interaction in a medium of relativistic electrons (moving with velocity greater than the electromagnetic phase velocity in the medium) with coherent electromagnetic waves incident in the opposite direction. A new effect of potential use is exhibited; it is a consequence of two distinct physical phenomena acting synergistically to result in double-Doppler-shifted coherent waves contained within a Mach cone. Its applications include production of narrow band radiation at higher frequencies and wave numbers than are at present available from lasers, which has implications for holography and for improved pumping efficiency and production of narrow band submillimetre waves from microwaves, which has significance for communications.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kulikov, O. F., Telnov, Y. Y., Filippov, E. I., and Yakimenko, M. N., Phys. Lett., 13, 344 (1964).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Bemporad, C., Milburn, R. M., Tanaka, N., and Fotino, M., Phys. Rev., 138, B1456 (1965).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Milburn, R. M., Phys. Rev. Lett., 10, 75 (1963).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Arutyunian, F. R., and Tumanian, V. A., Phys. Lett., 4, 176 (1963).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Arutyunian, F. R., Goldman, I. I., and Tumanian, V. A., Soviet Phys. JETP, 18, 218 (1964).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Perelshtein, E. A., and Podgoretskii, M. I., Soviet J. nucl. Phys., 12, 631 (1971).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Kolpakov, A. V., Soviet J. nucl. Phys. 16, 554 (1973).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 26628 Fond du Lac Road, Palos Verdes Peninsula, California, 90274

    S. SCHNEIDER

  2. High Energy Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305

    R. SPITZER

Authors
  1. S. SCHNEIDER
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R. SPITZER
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

SCHNEIDER, S., SPITZER, R. Interaction of coherent electromagnetic waves with relativistic electrons in a medium. Nature 250, 643–645 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/250643a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/250643a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing