Experimental verification of the Landau–Lifshitz equation

The Landau–Lifshitz (LL) equation has been proposed as the classical equation to describe the dynamics of a charged particle in a strong electromagnetic field when influenced by radiation reaction. Until recently, there has been no clear experimental verification. However, aligned crystals have remedied the situation: here, as in Nielsen et al CERN NA63 Collaboration (2020 Phys. Rev. D 102 052004), we report on a quantitative experimental test of the LL equation by measuring the emission spectra of electrons and positrons penetrating aligned single crystals. The recorded spectra are in remarkable agreement with simulations based on the LL equation of motion with moderate quantum corrections for recoil and, in the case of electrons in axially aligned crystals, spin and reduced radiation intensity.