  We discuss a class of exact finite energy solutions to the vacuum source-free
Maxwell field equations as models for multi- and single cycle laser pulses in
classical interaction with relativistic charged test particles. These solutions
are classified in terms of their chiral content based on their influence on
particular charge configurations in space. Such solutions offer a
computationally efficient parameterization of compact laser pulses used in
laser-matter simulations and provide a potential means for experimentally
bounding the fundamental length scale in the generalized electrodynamics of
Bopp, Lande and Podolsky.
