Phase space distribution of an electron beam emerging from Compton/Thomson back-scattering by an intense laser pulse

We analyze the energy distribution of a relativistic electron beam after the Compton back-scattering by a counterpropagating laser field. The analysis is performed for parameters in the range of realistic X-γ sources, in the framework of the Quantum Electrodynamics, by means of the code CAIN. The results lead to the conclusion that, in the regime considered, the main effect is the initial formation of stripes, followed by the diffusion of the most energetic particles toward lower values in the longitudinal phase space, with a final increase of the electron energy bandwidth.