Compton scattering driven by intense quantum light

Abstract

Compton scattering is a cornerstone of quantum physics, describing the fundamental electron-photon interaction. Inverse Compton scattering can create attosecond x-ray pulses by high-intensity lasers driving free electrons. So far, in all theory and experiments, the observables of Compton scattering and its generalizations could be described by treating the driving electromagnetic field classically. Motivated by advances in the generation of squeezed light with high intensity, we consider driving the Compton effect with nonclassical light. We develop a framework to describe the nonperturbative interaction of a charged particle with driving fields of an arbitrary quantum light state. We obtain analytical results for the Compton emission spectrum when driven by intense thermal and squeezed vacuum states, showing noticeably broader emission spectra relative to a classical drive, thus reaching higher emission frequencies for the same average intensity. We envision quantum light properties such as squeezing and entanglement as degrees of freedom to control various radiation phenomena.