Field Theoretic Description of Ultrarelativistic Electron-Positron Plasmas

TL;DR

This paper uses finite-temperature quantum electrodynamics to analyze the properties of ultrarelativistic electron-positron plasmas, relevant in high-intensity laser experiments and astrophysical contexts.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive perturbative QED framework for calculating key plasma properties, focusing on laser-produced electron-positron plasmas.

Findings

Calculated dispersion relations for plasma modes

Determined Debye screening lengths

Estimated damping rates and collision times

Abstract

Ultrarelativistic electron-positron plasmas can be produced in high-intensity laser fields and play a role in various astrophysical situations. Their properties can be calculated using QED at finite temperature. Here we will use perturbative QED at finite temperature for calculating various important properties, such as the equation of state, dispersion relations of collective plasma modes of photons and electrons, Debye screening, damping rates, mean free paths, collision times, transport coefficients, and particle production rates, of ultrarelativistic electron-positron plasmas. In particular, we will focus on electron-positron plasmas produced with ultra-strong lasers.