Work

Semiclassical pair production rate for rotating electric fields

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: We semiclassically investigate Schwinger pair production for pulsed rotating electric fields depending on time. To do so we solve the Dirac equation for two-component fields in a Wentzel--Kramers--Brillouin-like approximation. The result shows that for two-component fields the spin distribution of produced pairs is generally not $1\ensuremath{\mathbin:}1$. As a result the pair creation rates of spinor and scalar QED are different even for one pair of turning points. For rotating electric fields, the pair creation rate is dominated by particles with a specific spin depending on the sense of rotation for a certain range of pulse lengths and frequencies. We present an analytical solution for the momentum spectrum of the constant rotating field. We find interference effects not only in the momentum spectrum but also in the total particle number of rotating electric fields.

Source: Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fields

DOI: 10.1103/physrevd.91.045016

Authors: Eckhard Strobel, She-Sheng Xue

Institutions: International Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, Sapienza University of Rome

Language: English

Topic: Quantum and Classical Electrodynamics

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency

Award: G1586441012