Mainz 2017 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 10: Quantum Effects: QED II

Q 10.4: Talk

Monday, March 6, 2017, 17:45–18:00, P 4

Semiclassical picture for electron-positron photoproduction in strong laser fields — •Sebastian Meuren, Christoph H. Keitel, and Antonino Di Piazza — Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg

Inside a strong laser field electrons/positrons emit photons via nonlinear Compton scattering and photons decay into electron-positron pairs via the nonlinear Breit-Wheeler process [1]. Under certain circumstances a cascade of these fundamental processes develops and theoretical calculations become intricate. All known approaches, which are feasible in this regime, are based on the semiclassical approximation, which separates the classical propagation of the particles from the actual quantum transitions. Approximately, the latter happen instantaneously and essentially as if the external field were a constant-crossed field [2]. It was pointed out, e.g., in [3] that the standard approach is not capable of reproducing the details of the spectrum. In [4] we have shown that also the substructure of the spectrum is correctly described if the semiclassical approximation is applied on the amplitude rather than the probability level of a Feynman diagram.

1. Di Piazza et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 84, 1177 (2012)
2. V. I. Ritus, J. Sov. Laser Res. 6, 497 (1985)
3. C. N. Harvey et al., Phys. Rev. A 91, 013822 (2015)
4. SM, C. H. Keitel and A. Di Piazza, Phys. Rev. D 93, 085028 (2016)