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Abstract

Plane waves are a recurring concept in various branches of physics. Although they are, to some extent, idealizations, they provide the groundwork for describing a multitude of radiative processes. The great strength of this concept lies in the structural simplicity of plane waves, a simplicity that allows us to analytically tackle various problems and derive an intuitive and computable framework that would otherwise be obscured by mathematical complexity. Here, we will leverage these characteristics to study the nonlinear behavior of particles moving in strong electromagnetic fields and nonlinear gravitational waves. We will show how the large number of symmetries possessed by plane waves enables the exact calculation of the interaction between a moving charge and the field it generates, an effect known as radiation-reaction. We will also investigate the gravitational emission of moving particles in an electromagnetic wave and demonstrate that the resulting amplitude can be proved to be in a simple proportionality relation with its electromagnetic counterpart, both from the classical and quantum perspectives. Additionally, we will explore the dynamics in plane wave spacetimes that generalize the usual treatment in the weak-field approximation, showing how this can be connected to known results for the motion in an electromagnetic wave within flat spacetime. Finally, we will study the process of photon emission by an electron in the aforementioned curved spacetime.