Abstract
We consider a theory of scalar QED on a spatially compact $1+1$-dimensional spacetime. By considering a constant electric field pointing down the compact dimension, we compute the quantum effective action by integrating out the scalar degrees of freedom in the Euclidean sector. Working in the saddle-point approximation, we uncover two novel branches/physical regimes upon analytically continuing back to real time and discover a new result, hitherto unreported in previous literature. Implications of our results are discussed.
Highlights
It is a well-known result of quantum field theory in external backgrounds that strong fields can lead to particle creation from vacuum
The first such prediction was in quantum electrodynamics—that of pair creation by strong electric fields—computed by Schwinger in 1951 [1,2]
The Schwinger effect—that is, particle production due to vacuum decay induced by external fields—is still one of the outstanding radical predictions of quantum electrodynamics and quantum field theory in external backgrounds in general
Summary
We consider a theory of scalar QED on a spatially compact 1 þ 1-dimensional spacetime. By considering a constant electric field pointing down the compact dimension, we compute the quantum effective action by integrating out the scalar degrees of freedom in the Euclidean sector. Working in the saddle-point approximation, we uncover two novel branches/physical regimes upon analytically continuing back to real time and discover a new result, hitherto unreported in previous literature.
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