Nonlinear evolution of a relativistically strong electromagnetic wave in the self-created electron–positron plasma

The nonlinear interaction between the electron–positron pairs produced by an electromagnetic wave in plasma and the wave leads to damping of the wave, frequency upshift, change of polarization and particle acceleration. The case of a circularly polarized wave is investigated in the framework of the relativistic Vlasov equation with a source term based on the Schwinger formula for the pair creation rate.