Modelling Strong-Field QED on the Computer
Recent technological advances are enabling the development of lasers of unprecedented powers and intensities. This is leading to a renewed interest in the use of high-intensity laser fields as a testing ground for strong field QED. However, the non plane-wave-like characteristics of such strongly focussed beams makes an analytical study very challenging. This, together with the fact that a particle in such a field can undergo more than one quantum transition, necessitates the need for a computational approach. Therefore, in this talk I will discuss the numerical modelling of QED processes in strong fields. I will begin with a critical discussion of the techniques and assumptions needed to implement such codes. After this I will focus on Compton scattering, showing the effects of discrete (i.e. quantum) photon emissions on the dynamics of a particle, comparing to one that is radiating classically.