We propose a new method of detecting radiation reaction effects in the motion of particles subjected to laser pulses of moderate intensity and long duration. The effect becomes sizeable for particles that gain almost no energy through the interaction with the laser pulse.
The electron mass shift in a laser field has long remained an elusive concept. We show that the mass shift can exist in pulses but that it is neither unique nor universal: it can be reduced by pulse shaping. We show also that the detection of mass sh
ift effects in laser-particle scattering experiments is feasible with current technology, even allowing for the transverse structure of realistic beams.
