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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Pair production in rotating electric fields via quantum kinetic equations: Resolving helicity states

I. A. Aleksandrov1,2,* and A. Kudlis3,4,†

  • *Contact author: i.aleksandrov@spbu.ru
  • †Contact author: andrewkudlis@gmail.com
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Phys. Rev. D 110, L011901 – Published 22 July, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.110.L011901

Abstract

We investigate the phenomenon of electron-positron pair production from vacuum in the presence of a strong electric field of circular polarization. By means of a nonperturbative approach based on the quantum kinetic equations (QKEs), we numerically calculate helicity-resolved momentum distributions of the particles produced and analyze the corresponding helicity asymmetry. It is demonstrated that the external rotating field tends to generate left-handed and right-handed particles traveling in opposite directions. Generic symmetry properties of the momentum spectra are examined analytically by means of the QKEs and also confirmed and illustrated by direct numerical computations. The helicity signatures revealed in our study are expected to provide a firmer basis for possible experimental investigations of the fundamental phenomenon of vacuum pair production in strong fields.

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Phys. Rev. D 110, L011901– Published 22 July, 2024
  • Received 17 April 2024
  • Accepted 17 June 2024
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