Year: 2002
Type: article
Abstract: A quantum kinetic equation coupled with Maxwell's equation is used to estimate the laser power required at an x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) facility to expose intrinsically quantum effects in the process of QED vacuum decay via spontaneous pair production. A 9 -TW-peak XFEL laser with photon energy of 8.3 keV could be sufficient to initiate particle accumulation and the consequent formation of a plasma of spontaneously produced pairs. The evolution of the particle number in the plasma will exhibit non-Markovian aspects of the strong-field pair production process, and the plasma's internal currents will generate an electric field whose interference with that of the laser leads to plasma oscillations.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Authors: C. D. Roberts, S. M. Schmidt, D. V. Vinnik
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2165716427