Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: We investigate a non-Hermitian Schwinger effect by analyzing a one-loop effective Lagrangian of scalar and Dirac quantum electrodynamics (QED) in the presence of a real electric field and a parallel imaginary magnetic field. We show that an imaginary magnetic field produces an additional pole family in the integrand of the proper-time representation. Unlike a real magnetic field, an imaginary magnetic field can generate a nonzero imaginary part of the effective Lagrangian even in the absence of an electric field. The interplay between the two fields leads to nontrivial phenomena, such as a cancellation mechanism between the contributions of two fields. We also point out that when the ratio of two field strengths is rational, some poles among the two families coincide, and a careful treatment of double poles is required. By further examining the complex Landau-level structure of the electric-pole contribution, we find that the field dependence of the vacuum decay rate from each Landau level exhibits a sinusoidal-like behavior, and their sum determines the overall field dependence. Our results clarify the analytic structure of the QED effective Lagrangian in imaginary magnetic backgrounds and provide a basis for investigating its relation to non-Hermitian phenomena in the QED vacuum.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Arifi, Ahmad Jafar, Suzuki, Kei
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Award: G8788170181
OpenAlex ID: W7224123736