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Updated: Oct 18, 2026

Measurement of Scattering Nonlinearities from a Single Plasmonic Nanoparticle
Published on: January 3, 2016
Complete Reflection of Nonlinear Electromagnetic Waves in Underdense Pair Plasmas Enabled by Dynamically Formed
Kavin Tangtartharakul1, Alexey Arefiev1, Maxim Lyutikov2
1University of California San Diego, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, La Jolla, California 92093, USA.
Abstract:
In contrast to relativistically induced transparency in electron-ion plasmas, where nonlinear electromagnetic waves render initially opaque plasmas transparent, we show using kinetic simulations that such waves can instead make initially transparent pair plasmas fully reflective. The difference is mass symmetry, which eliminates charge-separation electric fields. As the wave compresses the pair plasma, weak reflection seeds density spikes that form a moving Bragg-like grating. Enhanced reflection enables a transition to a regime where the plasma-vacuum interface sustains complete reflection.
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