Creation of multiple electron-positron pairs in arbitrary fields

Abstract

We examine the spontaneous breakdown of the matter vacuum triggered by an external force of arbitrary strength and spatial and temporal variations. We derive a nonperturbative framework that permits the computation of the complete time evolution of various multiple electron-positron pair probabilities. These timedependent probabilities can be computed from a generating function as well as from solutions to a set of ratelike equations with coupling constants determined by the single-particle solutions to the time-dependent Dirac equation. This approach might be of relevance to the planned experiments to observe for the first time the laser-induced breakdown process of the vacuum.

Non-perturbative approach to bosonic multi-pair creation in arbitrary external fields

“…Quite interestingly, such a positive correlation was found to be a negative correlation in the fermion case [30]. For fermions the Pauli principle was a consequence of that negative correlation.…”

“…Other techniques involve world line or instanton methods [25][26][27][28][29]. An indepen dent approach has been offered to study the decay of the vacuum and the creation of single and multiple pair states for arbitrary field conditions in space and time [30]. This approach related the quantum field theoretical observables to the corresponding numeri cal solutions of the quantum mechanical time depen dent Dirac equation.…”

Electron-positron pair creation induced by quantum-mechanical tunneling

“…Based on an original conjecture by Hund [33], one can show that the rate can be obtained from the energy integral over the transmission coefficient [16,34], as…”

“…Even though the theory does not require a precise threshold field strength, the typical field associated with such a pair creation is on the order of E c =1.32×10 16 V/cm. More recent theoretical investigations have shown that there is a second mechanism to create pairs.…”

“…The highest intensity level of high-power laser systems is about 10 22 W/cm 2 , but there are presently tremendous efforts underway at various labs to approach the Schwinger limit and hopefully one day to observe a laser-only induced pair creation process experimentally [13]. In view of the present difficulty to provide sufficiently strong fields, several theoretical proposals [14][15][16][17] to lower the threshold have been investigated involving combinations of static electric, magnetic and time-dependent laser fields. In all cases the fields are required to overlap spatially and to be applied simultaneously.…”