Non-linear inverse Compton scattering is an interesting phenomenon for all applications requiring high-energy photons since NICS is capable of producing photons with energy comparable to  and higher. In the case of electrons, this means that it is possible to produce photons with MeV energy that can consequently trigger other phenomena such as pair production, Breit–Wheeler pair production, Compton scattering, nuclear reactions.
In the context of laser-plasma acceleration, both relativistic electrons and laser pulses of ultra-high intensity can be present, setting favourable conditions for the observation and the exploitation of non-linear inverse Compton scattering for high-energy photon production, for diagnostic of electron motion, and for probing non-linear quantum effects and non-linear QED. Because of this reason, several numerical tools have been introduced to study non-linear inverse Compton scattering. For example, particle-in-cell codes for the study of laser-plasma acceleration have been developed with the capabilities of simulating non-linear inverse Compton scattering with Monte Carlo methods. These tools are used to explore the different regimes of NICS in the context of laser-plasma interaction.