Schwinger particle production: Rapid switch off of the external field versus dynamical assistance

IF 5 2区物理与天体物理 Q1 Physics and Astronomy

Physical Review D Pub Date : 2025-01-10 DOI:10.1103/physrevd.111.016010

I. A. Aleksandrov, D. G. Sevostyanov, V. M. Shabaev

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

We consider the process of electron-positron pair production in the presence of strong electric backgrounds being rapidly switched on and off and examine the total particle yield. For sufficiently sharp field profiles, the particle number can be substantially enhanced. It is demonstrated that this enhancement is quite similar to the phenomenon of dynamical assistance by a weak high-frequency field superimposed on a strong background. Both these mechanisms are analyzed by means of exact numerical computations, worldline instanton approach, and the locally constant field approximation. We identify the timescale of the switching profile leading to the pair-production enhancement and argue that the particle yield is highly unlikely to be increased by shaping the switch on and off of realistic laser pulses. On the other hand, we confirm that it is feasible to observe the dynamically assisted Schwinger effect by adding a rapidly oscillating field to a strong electric background.

Published by the American Physical Society

2025

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来源期刊

Physical Review D 物理-天文与天体物理

CiteScore

9.20

自引率

36.00%

发文量

审稿时长

2 months

期刊介绍： Physical Review D (PRD) is a leading journal in elementary particle physics, field theory, gravitation, and cosmology and is one of the top-cited journals in high-energy physics. PRD covers experimental and theoretical results in all aspects of particle physics, field theory, gravitation and cosmology, including: Particle physics experiments, Electroweak interactions, Strong interactions, Lattice field theories, lattice QCD, Beyond the standard model physics, Phenomenological aspects of field theory, general methods, Gravity, cosmology, cosmic rays, Astrophysics and astroparticle physics, General relativity, Formal aspects of field theory, field theory in curved space, String theory, quantum gravity, gauge/gravity duality.