String Pair Production Research Articles

The open string pair production, its enhancement and the physics behind

Why adding a collinear magnetic field to the electric one on a D3 brane in a system of two parallel separated D3 branes can enhance the open string pair production? How is the open string pair production rate related to the QED ones in the weak field limit? We answer these questions and report the somehow expected but still remarkable relation between the weak field non-perturbative stringy rate and the corresponding QED ones in this letter.

Understanding the open string pair production of the Dp/D0 system

Consider a system consisting of Dp and Dp′, placed parallel at a separation and with p − p′ = 2n (assuming p ≥ p′, the integer n ≥ 0 and p′ > 0). When either Dp or Dp′ carries a worldvolume electric flux, one in general expects a non-vanishing open string pair production due to the pair of virtual open string/anti open string connecting the two D branes under the action of the applied flux. However, this will not be true for p′ = 0 and p = 2, 4, 6 when the Dp carries a pure electric flux. In this note, we will explore the case for which a finite non-vanishing open string pair production rate can indeed be produced when a certain worldvolume flux is applied to the Dp brane and understand the physics behind.

Open string pair production from the interacting dressed-angled D-strings

We calculate the rate of the open string pair production from the interaction of two non-intersecting D-strings at angle. The D-strings have been equipped with the U(1) gauge potentials in the presence of the Kalb–Ramond field. This rate will be discussed when the D-strings intersect each other. Our computations is in the framework of the bosonic string theory.

Pair creation of open strings between the unstable-dressed Dp-branes

In this paper, we study the open string pair production via the interaction of two parallel D[Formula: see text]-branes. The branes have been dressed by the Kalb–Ramond field, a specific [Formula: see text] gauge potential and a tachyon field of the open string spectrum. We shall apply the boundary state formalism, in the context of the bosonic string theory.

On Schwinger pair production between D3 branes

We study the open string pair production between two D3 branes, which will give rise to similar effect as Schwinger pair production for observers on one of the D3 branes. The D3 branes are placed parallel at a distance, and they are carrying world-volume electromagnetic fluxes that take a general form. We derive the pair production rate by computing the interaction amplitude between the D3 branes. We discussed how to maximize the pair production rate in this general case. We also mentioned that the general result can be used to describe other system such as D3–D1, where the pair production is ultra large compared to original Schwinger pair production, making it hopeful to observe pair production in experiments.

More on the open string pair production

Motivated by the recent work [1] by one of the present authors, we here report that there exist two new systems, namely, D3/(F, D1) and D3/(D3, (F, D1)), either of which can give rise to a much larger sizable open string pair production rate at a condition much relaxed. Here the D3 is taken as our own (1 + 3)-dimensional world while the non-threshold bound state (F, D1) or (D3, (F, D1)) is placed parallel nearby in the directions transverse to both our D3 world and the non-threshold bound state considered.

On D-brane interaction & its related properties

We compute the closed-string cylinder amplitude between one Dp brane and the other Dp′ brane, placed parallel at a separation, with each carrying a general constant worldvolume flux and with p−p′=0,2,4,6 and p≤6. For the p=p′, we show that the main part of the amplitude for p=p′<5 is a special case of that for p=p′=5 or 6 case. For all other p−p′=2,4,6 cases, we show that the amplitude is just a special case of the corresponding one for p=p′ case. Combined both, we obtain the general formula for the amplitude, which is valid for each of the cases considered and for arbitrary constant worldvolume fluxes. The corresponding general open string one-loop annulus amplitude is also obtained by a Jacobi transformation of the general cylinder one. We give also the general open string pair production rate. We study the properties of the amplitude such as the nature of the interaction, the open string tachyonic instability, and the possible open string pair production and its potential enhancement. In particular, in the presence of pure magnetic fluxes or magnetic-like fluxes, we find that the nature of interaction is correlated with the existence of potential open string tachyonic instability. When the interaction is attractive, there always exists an open string tachyonic instability when the brane separation reaches the minimum determined by the so-called tachyonic shift. When the interaction is repulsive, there is no such instability for any brane separation. We also find that the enhancement of open string pair production, in the presence of pure electric fluxes, can occur only for the p−p′=2 case.

D-brane interaction, the open string pair production and its enhancement plus its possible detection

This review article reports the recent studies, based on a series of publications by one of the present authors along with his collaborators, regarding the interaction between two D-branes, the open string pair production and its possible enhancement in Type II superstring theories. Specifically, computed is the interaction amplitude between two D-branes, placed parallel at a separation, with each carrying a general worldvolume constant flux, and discussed are the amplitude properties, say, the repulsive or attractive nature of the interaction. When at least one of the D-branes carries an electric flux, the interaction amplitude can have an imaginary part, reflecting the instability of the underlying system via the open string pair production. The decay rate and the pair production rate are both computed. In addition, the enhancement of the latter is found when the added electric and magnetic fluxes are correlated in both magnitude and direction in a certain manner. In particular, when one of the branes is D3 and the other is D1, the corresponding pair production rate becomes large enough to be tested in an earthbound laboratory. Note that the pair production rate is related to the brane separation along the direction transverse to both branes, therefore, to the extra-dimensions with respect to the brane observer. So if the underlying string theory is relevant and the D3 can be taken as our own 4-dimensional world, measuring, say, the electric current due to the pair production and comparing it against the added electric and magnetic fields to see if the measurements agree with the prediction of the computations. This can be used to verify the existence of extra-dimensions. Further, this provides also a potential new means to test the underlying string theory without the need of compactifying it to four dimensions.

A note on the open string pair production of the D3/D1 system

We here report a possibility of detecting the open string pair production from the system of a D3 brane, taken as our own (1 + 3)-dimensional world and carrying its worldvolume collinear electric and magnetic fluxes, and a nearby D-string, placed parallel at a separation in the directions transverse to both branes.

Remark on the open string pair production enhancement

Recent studies by one of the present authors along with his collaborators in [1–4] show that there exist the so-called open string pair production for a possible simplest system of two Dp branes, placed parallel at a separation and with each carrying different electric flux, in Type II superstring theories. Further this pair production can be greatly enhanced when a magnetic flux, sharing no common field strength index with the electric one, is added, implying then p≥3. Given this, one may wonder if further enhancement can be achieved by adding more magnetic flux(es) in a similar fashion. In this paper, we explore this possibility. It turns out that adding more such magnetic flux diminishes rather than enhances the pair production rate. This actually implies that the largest enhancement occurs at p=3 when the same realistic electric and magnetic fluxes are applied for all p≥3. Curiously one of D3 branes may be our own world and if so, the enhancement gives a possible opportunity to detect the pair production, therefore to test the underlying string theories.

A possible signature of extra-dimensions: The enhanced open string pair production

In analogy to the Schwinger pair production in QED, there exists also the so-called open string pair production for a system of two Dp branes, placed parallel at a separation, with at least one brane carrying a worldvolume electric flux, in Type II string theories. There is however no such pair production if an isolated Dp brane carrying an electric flux is considered. The produced open strings are directly related to the brane separation, therefore to the extra-dimensions if taken from the viewpoint of a brane observer. This pair production can be greatly enhanced if one Dp brane carries also a magnetic flux. The largest pair production rate occurs for p=3, i.e., the D3 brane system, with the same applied fluxes. A detection of this pair production by the brane observer as the charged particle/anti-charged particle pair one may signal the existence of extra-dimensions and therefore provides a potential means to test the underlying string theories.

Some aspects of interaction amplitudes of D branes carrying worldvolume fluxes

We report a systematic study of the stringy interaction between two sets of Dp branes placed parallel at a separation in the presence of two worldvolume fluxes for each set. We focus in this paper on that the two fluxes on one set have the same structure as those on the other set but they in general differ in values, which can be both electric or both magnetic or one electric and one magnetic. We compute the respective stringy interaction amplitude and find that the presence of electric fluxes gives rise to the open string pair production while that of magnetic ones to the open string tachyon mode. The interplay of these two leads to the open string pair production enhancement in certain cases when one flux is electric and the other is magnetic. In particular, we find that this enhancement occurs even when the electric flux and the magnetic one share one common field strength index which is impossible in the one-flux case studied previously by the present author and his collaborator in [17]. This type of enhancement may have realistic physical applications, say, as a means to explore the existence of extra dimensions.

Worldsheet instantons and the amplitude for string pair production in an external field as a WKB exact functional integral

We revisit the problem of charged string pair creation in a constant external electric field. The string states are massive and creation of pairs from the vacuum is a tunnelling process, analogous to the Schwinger process where charged particle-anti-particle pairs are created by an electric field. We find the instantons in the worldsheet sigma model which are responsible for the tunnelling events. We evaluate the sigma model partition function in the multi-instanton sector in the WKB approximation which keeps the classical action and integrates the quadratic fluctuations about the solution. We find that the summation of the result over all multi-instanton sectors reproduces the known amplitude. This suggests that corrections to the WKB limit must cancel. To show that they indeed cancel, we identify a fermionic symmetry of the sigma model which occurs in the instanton sectors and which is associated with collective coordinates. We demonstrate that the action is symmetric and that the interaction action is an exact form. These conditions are sufficient for localization of the worldsheet functional integral onto its WKB limit.

Magnetically-enhanced open string pair production

We consider the stringy interaction between two parallel stacks of D3 branes placed at a separation. Each stack of D3 branes in a similar fashion carry an electric flux and a magnetic flux with the two sharing no common field strength index. The interaction amplitude has an imaginary part, giving rise to the Schwinger-like pair production of open strings. We find a significantly enhanced rate of this production when the two electric fluxes are almost identical and the brane separation is on the order of string scale. This enhancement will be largest if the two magnetic fluxes are opposite in direction. This novel enhancement results from the interplay of the non-perturbative Schwinger-type pair production due to the electric flux and the stringy tachyon due to the magnetic flux, and may have realistic physical applications.

String pair production in non homogeneous backgrounds

We consider string pair production in non homogeneous electric backgrounds. We study several particular configurations which can be addressed with the Euclidean world-sheet instanton technique, the analogue of the world-line instanton for particles. In the first case the string is suspended between two D-branes in flat space-time, in the second case the string lives in AdS and terminates on one D-brane (this realizes the holographic Schwinger effect). In some regions of parameter space the result is well approximated by the known analytical formulas, either the particle pair production in non-homogeneous background or the string pair production in homogeneous background. In other cases we see effects which are intrinsically stringy and related to the non-homogeneity of the background. The pair production is enhanced already for particles in time dependent electric field backgrounds. The string nature enhances this even further. For spacial varying electrical background fields the string pair production is less suppressed than the rate of particle pair production. We discuss in some detail how the critical field is affected by the non-homogeneity, for both time and space dependent electric field backgrouds. We also comment on what could be an interesting new prediction for the small field limit. The third case we consider is pair production in holographic confining backgrounds with homogeneous and non-homogeneous fields.

Note on light-like tachyon condensation

In this paper closed string emission and open string pair production from the light-like rolling tachyon solution are calculated in subcritical string theory in the background of a linear dilaton. The rolling light-like tachyon represents the inhomogeneous decay of unstable D-brane. The decay rate is given by the imaginary part of annulus diagram which can be calculated using the boundary state/sigma-model method. It is found that the decay rate is finite in the open string ultraviolet region and depends on tachyon profile in the open string infrared region.

Electrostatics approach to closed string pair production from a decaying D-brane

We consider the emission of two closed string tachyons from a decaying Dp-brane in bosonic string theory. We study the high energy limit of the emission amplitude by using an analogue to electrostatics. The case where the emitted strings have equal energies is analyzed in detail, and we obtain a relatively simple result for the emission amplitude. We identify expected poles for s- and t-channel emission. In the high energy limit, the amplitude decays exponentially (~e^{-2\pi\omega}) or faster in the energies \omega of the closed strings.

The open string pair-production rate enhancement by a magnetic flux

We extend the amplitude calculations of [1] to exhaust the remaining cases for which one set of Dp branes carrying a flux (electric or magnetic) is placed parallel at separation to the other set carrying also a flux but with the two fluxes sharing at most one common field-strength index. We then find that the basic structure of amplitudes remains the same when the two fluxes share at least one common index but it is more general when the two fluxes share no common index. We discuss various properties of the amplitudes such as the large separation limit, the onset of various instabilities and the open string pair production. In particular, when one flux is electric and weak and the other is magnetic and fixed, we find that the open string pair production rate is greatly enhanced by the presence of this magnetic flux when the two fluxes share no common field-strength index and this rate becomes significant when the separation is on the order of string scale.

Rolling tachyon in Anti-de Sitter space-time

We study the decay of the unstable D-particle in three-dimensional anti-de Sitter space-time using worldsheet boundary conformal field theory methods. We test the open string completeness conjecture in a background for which the phase space available is only field-theoretic. This could present a serious challenge to the claim. We compute the emission of closed strings in the AdS(3) x S^3 x T^4 background from the knowledge of the exact corresponding boundary state we construct. We show that the energy stored in the brane is mainly converted into very excited long strings. The energy stored in short strings and in open string pair production is much smaller and finite for any value of the string coupling. We find no "missing energy" problem. We compare our results to those obtained for a decay in flat space-time and to a background in the presence of a linear dilaton. Some remarks on holographic aspects of the problem are made.

Winding String Dynamics in a Time-Dependent Beta Deformed Background

We investigate string theory on the analytically continued β deformed background proposed in hep-th/0509036. This non-static model provides a solvable conformal field theory which describes time-dependent twisted string dynamics. We also study its low energy limit using the mini-superspace analysis. We examine winding string pair production via Bogoliubov coefficients and disk one-point correlators of D-branes. We find that these results are consistent with the CFT computations.