  Ion acceleration in laser-produced dense plasmas is a key topic of many
recent investigations thanks to its potential applications. Indeed, at
forthcoming laser intensities ($I \gtrsim 10^{23} \text{W}\,\text{cm}^{-2}$)
interaction of laser pulses with plasmas can be accompanied by copious
gamma-ray emission. Here we demonstrate the mutual influence of gamma-ray
emission and ion acceleration during relativistic hole boring in high-density
plasmas with ultra-intense laser pulses. If gamma-ray emission is abundant,
laser pulse reflection and hole-boring velocity are lower and gamma-ray
radiation pattern is narrower than in the case of low emission. Conservation of
energy and momentum allows one to elucidate the effects of gamma-ray emission
which are more pronounced at higher hole-boring velocities.
