Pair Creation Rate Research Articles

ON THE STRING PAIR CREATION IN Dp–Dp′ BRANE SYSTEM

We address the bosonic string pair creation in a system of parallel D p– D p′ (p<p′) branes by applying the path integral formalism. We drive the string pair creation rate by calculating the one-loop vacuum amplitude of the setup in the presence of the background electric field defined over the D p′-brane. It is pointed out that just the components of the electric field defined over the p spatial directions (the common directions along which the both D-branes are extended) give rise to the pair creation.

SCHWINGER EFFECT IN NONPARALLEL D1-BRANES: A PATH INTEGRAL APPROACH

We study the Schwinger effect in a system of nonparallel D1-branes for the bosonic strings using the path integral formalism. We drive the string pair creation rate by calculating the one-loop vacuum amplitude of the setup in presence of the background electric field defined along one of the D1-branes. We find an angle dependent minimum value for the background field and show that the decaying of vacuum into string pairs takes place for the field above this value. It is shown that in [Formula: see text] limit the vacuum becomes stable and thus no pair creation occurs.

Exact energy spectrum of a two-temperature kinetic Ising model

We develop the exact energy spectrum for a two-temperature kinetic Ising spin chain and its dual reaction-diffusion system with spatially alternating pair annihilation and creation rates. We also discuss the symmetries of the system pseudo-Hamiltonian and their role in developing a general solution. The surprisingly simple form for the eigenvalues leads to interesting physical consequences and to a possible numerical analysis of the dynamical properties of the system.

Pair creation rates for one-dimensional fermionic and bosonic vacua

We compare the creation rates for particle-antiparticle pairs produced by a supercritical force field for fermionic and bosonic model systems. The rates obtained from the Dirac and Klein-Gordon equations can be computed directly from the quantum-mechanical transmission coefficients describing the scattering of an incoming particle with the supercritical potential barrier. We provide a unified framework that shows that the bosonic rates can exceed the fermionic ones, as one could expect from the Pauli-exclusion principle for the fermion system. This imbalance for small but supercritical forces is associated with the occurrence of negative bosonic transmission coefficients of arbitrary size for the Klein-Gordon system, while the Dirac coefficient is positive and bound by unity. We confirm the transmission coefficients with time-dependent scattering simulations. For large forces, however, the fermionic and bosonic pair-creation rates are surprisingly close to each other. The predicted pair creation rates also match the slopes of the time-dependent particle probabilities obtained from large-scale ab initio numerical simulations based on quantum field theory.

Vacuum bubbles in a de Sitter background and black hole pair creation

We study the possible types of nucleation of vacuum bubbles. We classify vacuum bubbles in a de Sitter background and present some numerical solutions. The thin-wall approximation is employed to obtain the nucleation rate and the radius of vacuum bubbles. With careful analysis we confirm that Parke's formula is also applicable to the large true vacuum bubbles. The nucleation of the false vacuum bubble in a de Sitter background is also evaluated. The tunneling process in the potential with degenerate vacua is analyzed as the limiting cases of the large true vacuum bubble and false vacuum bubble. Next, we consider the pair creation of black holes in the background of bubble solutions. We obtain the static bubble wall solutions of the junction equation with a black hole pair. The masses of created black holes are uniquely determined by the cosmological constant and the surface tension on the wall. Finally, we obtain the rate of pair creation of black holes.

Few-photon electron-positron pair creation by relativistic muon impact on intense laser beams

Electron-positron pair production in combined laser and Coulomb fields is studied. To this end, the Feynman diagram for multiphoton pair creation by muon impact on a circularly polarized high-frequency laser beam is evaluated within the framework of laser-dressed quantum electrodynamics employing relativistic Volkov states. In the limit of low laser intensity, the result is shown to coincide with the known expression for multiphoton pair creation by a proton which is treated as an external Coulomb field. A scaling of the total pair creation rate is analyzed. The recoil distribution is calculated numerically and its dependence on the projectile mass and the number of absorbed photons is discussed. Angular spectra of the scattered muon, as well as energy spectra of the created particles and the correlation between the produced particles' emission angles, are presented.

Relativistic mass ejecta from phase-transition-induced collapse of neutron stars

We study the dynamical evolution of a phase-transition-induced collapse neutron star to a hybrid star, which consists of a mixture of hadronic matter and strange quark matter. The collapse is triggered by a sudden change of equation of state, which result in a large amplitude stellar oscillation. The evolution of the system is simulated by using a 3D Newtonian hydrodynamic code with a high resolution shock capture scheme. We find that both the temperature and the density at the neutrinosphere are oscillating with acoustic frequency. However, they are nearly 180° out of phase. Consequently, extremely intense, pulsating neutrino/antineutrino fluxes will be emitted periodically. Since the energy and density of neutrinos at the peaks of the pulsating fluxes are much higher than the non-oscillating case, the electron/positron pair creation rate can be enhanced dramatically. Some mass layers on the stellar surface can be ejected by absorbing energy of neutrinos and pairs. These mass ejecta can be further accelerated to relativistic speeds by absorbing electron/positron pairs, created by the neutrino and antineutrino annihilation outside the stellar surface. The possible connection between this process and the cosmological Gamma-ray Bursts is discussed.

On Schwinger pair creation in gravity and in closed superstring theory

We investigate the Schwinger pair creation process in the context of gravitational models with the back reaction of the electric field included in the geometry. The background is also an exact solution of type II superstring theory, where the electric field arises by Kaluza-Klein reduction. We obtain a closed formula for the pair creation rate that incorporates the gravitational back reaction. At weak fields it has the same structure as the general Schwinger formula, albeit pairs are produced by a combination of Schwinger and Unruh effect, the latter due to the presence of a Rindler horizon. In four spacetime dimensions, the rate becomes constant at strong electric fields. For states with mass of Kaluza-Klein origin, the rate has a power-like dependence in the electric field, rather than the familiar (non-perturbative) exponential dependence. We also reproduce the same formula from the string partition function for winding string states. Finally, we comment on the generalization to excited string states.

Electrodynamics of Magnetars. III. Pair Creation Processes in an Ultrastrong Magnetic Field and Particle Heating in a Dynamic Magnetosphere

We first examine the QED processes that create electron-positron pairs in magnetic fields approaching and exceeding 1014 G. The formation of free and bound pairs is addressed, and the importance of positronium dissociation by thermal X-rays is noted. We calculate the collision cross section between an X-ray and a gamma ray, and point out a resonance in the cross section when the gamma ray is close to the threshold for pair conversion. We then show how the pair creation rate in the open-field circuit and the outer magnetosphere can be strongly enhanced by current-driven instabilities near the light cylinder. A cascade develops when the current has a strong fluctuating component. We examine the mechanism of particle heating and show that a high rate of pair creation can be sustained close to the star, but only if the spin period is shorter than several seconds. The dissipation rate in this turbulent state can easily accommodate the observed radio output of the transient radio-emitting magnetars and even their infrared emission. Finally, we outline how a very high rate of pair creation on the open magnetic field lines can help to stabilize a static twist in the closed magnetosphere and to regulate the loss of magnetic helicity by reconnection at the light cylinder.

Electrodynamics of Magnetars. IV. Self‐Consistent Model of the Inner Accelerator with Implications for Pulsed Radio Emission

We consider the voltage structure in the open-field circuit and outer magnetosphere of a magnetar. The standard polar cap model for radio pulsars is modified significantly when the polar magnetic field exceeds 1.8 × 1014 G. Then a surface gap is effectively screened, because resonantly scattered X-rays can convert almost instantaneously to electron-positron pairs. We point out a second possible voltage distribution, in which backflowing charges spawn just enough pairs to compensate the gradient in the corotation charge density. We also examine the gap structure when the magnetic field is somewhat weaker and deduce a voltage 10-30 times larger over a range of surface temperatures. We examine carefully how the flow of charge back to the star above the gap depends on the magnitude of the current, on the curvature of the magnetic field lines, and on resonant drag. The rates of different channels of pair creation are determined self-consistently, including the nonresonant scattering of X-rays and collisions between gamma rays and X-rays. Both circuit solutions are subject to a two-stream instability due to a spatially extended return charge flow. The voltage is high enough to sustain the radio output of strongly magnetic pulsars, but not of the two radio magnetars with active magnetospheres, unless the gap is also present on the closed magnetic field lines. Several properties of the radio magnetars—their rapid variability, broad pulses, and unusually hard radio spectra—are consistent with a third possibility, that the current in the outer magnetosphere is strongly variable and a very high rate of pair creation is sustained by a turbulent cascade.

Dynamically Assisted Schwinger Mechanism

We study electron-positron pair creation from the Dirac vacuum induced by a strong and slowly varying electric field (Schwinger effect) which is superimposed by a weak and rapidly changing electromagnetic field (dynamical pair creation). In the subcritical regime where both mechanisms separately are strongly suppressed, their combined impact yields a pair creation rate which is dramatically enhanced. Intuitively speaking, the strong electric field lowers the threshold for dynamical particle creation--or, alternatively, the fast electromagnetic field generates additional seeds for the Schwinger mechanism. These findings could be relevant for planned ultrahigh intensity lasers.

D1-D3 (or bar-D3) systems with fluxes

In this article we study D1-D3 (or ) brane systems with generic constant electric and magnetic fluxes in IIB string theory. We work out all possible supersymmetric configurations and find out via T-duality all of them and corresponding supersymmetry conditions could be related to the supersymmetric intersecting D1-D1 pairs. And we do D1-D3 (or ) open string quantization for a class of configurations. We find that there are many near massless states in NS sector for near-BPS configurations. Furthermore we calculate open string pair creation rate in generic nonsupersymmetric configurations.

NEUTRINO PRODUCTION IN EXTREME CONDITIONS

We discuss the observational effects of the direct coupling of neutrino magnetic moment with electromagnetic field through Pauli interaction in extreme conditions. We calculate the neutrino pair creation rate from the instability of the strong magnetic field possibly in the vicinity of astrophysical compact objects and the enhancement of neutrino production rates in the high energy collider experiments as well as in the high energy cosmic ray experiments.

Electron-positron pair creation by Coulomb and laser fields in the tunneling regime

Electron-positron pair creation due to combined nuclear Coulomb and strong laser fields is investigated for the tunneling regime. The energy spectra and angular distributions of the pair are found analytically. The energy spectrum for each lepton exhibits a sharp maximum located well above the threshold for any polarization of the laser field. The angular distributions of leptons depend on the polarization: for linear polarization, both leptons move predominantly along the laser beam direction; for circular polarization, leptons are emitted in a thin-walled cone centered on the laser beam. The spectral and angular distributions found are governed by the intensity and frequency of the field, and the frequency-independent total pair creation rates comply with the previously known results. A method of calculation--the vicinal approximation--that uses the fact that the pair production takes place in the close vicinity of the nucleus is suggested.

Vacuum polarization and plasma oscillations

Abstract We evidence the existence of plasma oscillations of electron–positron pairs created by the vacuum polarization in an uniform electric field with E ≲ E c . Our general treatment, encompassing also the traditional, well studied case of E > E c , shows the existence in both cases of a maximum Lorentz factor acquired by electrons and positrons and allows determination of the maximal length of oscillation. We quantitatively estimate how plasma oscillations reduce the rate of pair creation and increase the time scale of the pair production. These results are particularly relevant in view of the experimental progress in approaching the field strengths E ≲ E c .

A particle simulation for the global pulsar magnetosphere: the pulsar wind linked to the outer gaps

Soon after the discovery of radio pulsars in 1967, the pulsars are identified as strongly magnetic (typically 10 12 G) rapidly rotating (∼10 2 - 0.1 Hz) neutron stars. However, the mechanism of particle acceleration in the pulsar magnetosphere has been a longstanding problem. The central problem is why the rotation power manifests itself in both gamma-ray beams and a highly relativistic wind of electron-positron plasmas, which excites surrounding nebulae observed in X-ray. Here we show with a three-dimensional particle simulation for the global axisymmetric magnetosphere that a steady outflow of electron-positron pairs is formed with associated pair sources, which are the gamma-ray emitting regions within the light cylinder. The magnetic field is assumed to be a dipole, and to be consistent, the pair creation rate is taken to be small, so that the model might be applicable to old pulsars such as Geminga. The pair sources are charge-deficient regions around the null surface, and we identify them as the outer gap. The wind mechanism is the electromagnetic induction which brings about fast azimuthal motion and eventually trans-field drift by radiation drag in the close vicinity of the light cylinder and beyond. The wind causes loss of particles from the system. This maintains charge deficiency in the outer gap and pair creation. The model is thus in a steady state, balancing loss and supply of particles. Our simulation implies how the wind coexists with the gamma-ray emitting regions in the pulsar magnetosphere.

Polarization-operator approach to electron-positron pair production in combined laser and Coulomb fields

The optical theorem is applied to the process of electron-positron pair creation in the superposition of a nuclear Coulomb and a strong laser field. We derive representations for the total production rate as twofold integrals, both for circular laser polarization and for the general case of elliptic polarization. Our approach allows us to obtain, by analytical means, the asymptotic behavior of the pair creation rate for various limits of interest. In particular, we consider pair production by two-photon absorption and show that, close to the energetic threshold of this process, the rate obeys a power law in the laser frequency with different exponents for linear and circular laser polarization. With the help of the upcoming x-ray laser sources, our results could be tested experimentally.

Electron‐Positron Pair Production in the Electrosphere of Quark Stars

We study Schwinger pair creation of charged particles due to the inhomogeneous electric field created by the thin electron layer at the surface of quark stars (the electrosphere). As suggested earlier, due to the low photon emissivity of the quark-gluon plasma and of the electrosphere, electron-positron pair emission could be the main observational signature of quark stars. To obtain the electron-positron pair creation rate we use the tunnelling approach. Explicit expressions for the fermion creation rate per unit time per unit volume are derived, which generalize the classical Schwinger result. The finite size effects in pair production, due to the presence of a boundary (the surface of the quark star), are also considered in the framework of a simple approach. It is shown that the boundary effects induce large quantitative and qualitative deviations of the particle production rate from what one deduces with the Schwinger formula and its generalization for the electric field of the electrosphere. The electron-positron pair emissivity and flux of the electrosphere of quark stars due to pair creation is considered, and the magnitude of the boundary effects for this parameters is estimated. Due to the inhomogeneity of the electric field distribution in the electrosphere and of the presence of the boundary effects, at high temperatures ($T\geq T_{cr}\approx 0.1 $ MeV) we find a lower electron-positron flux as previously estimated. The numerical value of the critical temperature $T_{cr}$ depends on the surface potential of the star. We briefly consider the effect of the magnetic field on the pair creation process and show that the magnetic field can enhance drastically the pair creation rate.

Large‐Amplitude, Pair‐creating Oscillations in Pulsar and Black Hole Magnetospheres

A time-dependent model for pair creation in a pulsar magnetosphere is developed. It is argued that the parallel electric field that develops in a charge-starved region (a gap) of a pulsar magnetosphere oscillates with large amplitude. Electrons and positrons are accelerated periodically and the amplitude of the oscillations is assumed large enough to cause creation of upgoing and downgoing pairs at different phases of the oscillation. With a charge-starved initial condition, we find that the oscillations result in bursts of pair creation in which the pair density rises exponentially with time. The pair density saturates at $N_\pm\simeq E_{0}^2/(8\pi m_ec^2\Gamma_{\rm thr})$, where $E_0$ is the parallel electric field in the charge-starved initial state, and $\Gamma_{\rm thr}$ is the Lorentz factor for effec tive pair creation. The frequency of oscillations following the pair creation burst is given roughly by $\omega_{\rm osc}=eE_0/(8m_ec\Gamma_{\rm thr})$. A positive feedback keeps the system stable, such that the average pair creation rate balances the loss rate due to pairs escaping the magnetosphere.

Damping of electromagnetic waves due to electron-positron pair production

The problem of the back reaction during the process of electron-positron pair production by a circularly polarized electromagnetic wave propagating in a plasma is investigated. A model based on the relativistic Boltzmann-Vlasov equation with a source term representing the Schwinger formula for the pair creation rate is used. The damping of the wave, the nonlinear up-shift of its frequency due to the plasma density increase, and the effect of the damping on the wave polarization and on the background plasma acceleration are investigated as a function of the wave amplitude.