%0 Journal Article
%T Kinetic Approach to Pair Production in Strong Fields¡ªTwo Lessons for Applications to Heavy-Ion Collisions
%A Andreas Otto
%A David B. Blaschke
%A Lukasz Juchnowski
%J -
%D 2019
%R https://doi.org/10.3390/particles2020012
%X Abstract The kinetic-equation approach to particle production in strong, time-dependent external fields is revisited and three limiting cases are discussed for different field patterns: the Sauter pulse, a harmonic pulse with a Gaussian envelope, and a Poisson-distributed stochastic field. It is shown that for transient subcritical electric fields E ( t ) a finite residual particle number density n ( ¡Þ ) would be absent if the field-dependence of the dynamical phase in the Schwinger source term would be neglected. In this case the distribution function of created particles follows the law f ( t ) ¡« E 2 ( t ) . Two lessons for particle production in heavy-ion collisions are derived from this exercise. First: the shorter the (Sauter-type) pulse, the higher the residual density of produced particles. Second: although the Schwinger process in a string-type field produces a non-thermal particle spectrum, a Poissonian distribution of the (fluctuating) strings produces a thermal spectrum with an apparent temperature that coincides with the Hawking¨CUnruh temperature for the mean value of the string tension. View Full-Tex
%K kinetic theory
%K particle production
%K Schwinger effect
%K Zitterbewegung
%K low density approximation
%U https://www.mdpi.com/2571-712X/2/2/12