Longitudinal-field particle acceleration in channels generated by strong electromagnetic waves in pair plasma

Relativistically strong electromagnetic waves interacting with pair plasmas appear in astrophysical settings and may become accessible in future laboratory experiments using high-power lasers. Transverse modulations and filamentation can turn extended wavefronts into structures of a finite transverse width. We examine the interaction of such a finite-width wave incident on a cold, uniform pair plasma using a three-dimensional kinetic particle-in-cell simulation. The wave does not penetrate the plasma; instead, it advances by creating a fully evacuated channel. The wave loses energy at a rate that cannot be explained by plasma clearing alone. We find that the excess losses are caused by strong particle acceleration near the walls of the channel. The acceleration is driven by a longitudinal electric field associated with the transverse wave structure and the geometry of the self-generated channel.