Nonadiabatic ponderomotive potentials

An approximate integral of the Manley–Rowe type is found for a particle moving in a high-frequency field, which may interact resonantly with natural particle oscillations. An effective ponderomotive potential is introduced accordingly and can capture nonadiabatic particle dynamics. We show that nonadiabatic ponderomotive barriers can trap classical particles, produce cooling effect, and generate one-way walls for resonant species. Possible atomic applications are also envisioned.