Polarization effects in bound-free pair production

Abstract

We present a theoretical study of bound-free electron-positron pair production in the interaction of γ-rays with bare ions. Special attention is paid to the longitudinal polarization of both the emitted positrons and the produced hydrogen-like ions. To evaluate this polarization we employed exact solutions of the relativistic Dirac equation and treat the electron-photon coupling within the framework of first-order perturbation theory. Detailed calculations have been performed for both, low-and high-Z ions and for a wide range of photon energies. The results of these calculations suggest that bound-free pair production can be a source of strongly polarized positrons and ions.

Sub-barrier pathways to Freeman resonances

“…This bound-free channel of pair production has been thoroughly investigated in Refs. [25][26][27][28][29]. However, rather than real bound-free pair production, the state of a bound-free pair can emerge virtually as a transition state, which finally may end up with a free electron and positron state.…”