Observing thermal Schwinger pair production
File(s)PhysRevA.99.052120.pdf (938.9 KB)
Published version
Author(s)
Gould, Oliver
Mangles, Stuart
Rajantie, Arttu
Rose, Steven
Xie, Cheng
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We study the possibility of observing Schwinger pair production enhanced by a thermal bath of photons. We consider the full range of temperatures and electric field intensities from pure Schwinger production to pure thermal production, and identify the most promising and interesting regimes. In particular, we identify temperatures of ∼ 20 keV/kB and field intensities of ∼ 10²³ W cm¯² where pair production would be observable. In this case, the thermal enhancement over the Schwinger rate is exponentially large and due to effects which are not visible at any finite order in the loop expansion. Pair production in this regime can thus be described as more nonperturbative than the usual Schwinger process, which appears at one loop. Unfortunately, such high temperatures appear to be out of reach of foreseeable technologies, though nonthermal photon distributions with comparable energy densities are possible. We suggest the possibility that similar nonperturbative enhancements may extend out of equilibrium and propose an experimental scheme to test this.
Date Issued
2019-05
Date Acceptance
2019-04-29
Citation
Physical Review A, 2019, 99 (5)
ISSN
1050-2947
Publisher
American Physical Society
Journal / Book Title
Physical Review A
Volume
99
Issue
5
Copyright Statement
© 2019 American Physical Society
Identifier
http://arxiv.org/abs/1812.04089v1
Subjects
hep-ph
hep-ph
physics.plasm-ph
Notes
7 pages, 4 figures
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 052120
Date Publish Online
2019-05-22