Aspects of electromagnetic radiation reaction in strong fields
How to describe radiation reaction  the interaction of an accelerating charge with the radiation it emits  is one of the oldest open questions in physics. On the theoretical side, many equations have been proposed, but there remains no overall consensus as to which (if any) is correct. So far, experiment has had little to contribute, but this is set to change with the advent of new, ultra-high power laser facilities, lending the problem a new urgency. In this talk, we consider the mathematical structures behind some of these theories, and discuss some of the ways in which these effects might be observed in the near future.