On the Quantum Kinetic Approach and the Scattering Approach to Vacuum Pair Production

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the equivalence of the quantum kinetic and scattering approaches to vacuum pair production in time-varying electric fields, introducing new approximation methods and insights for more complex field configurations.

Contribution

It establishes the complete equivalence of two major theoretical approaches and proposes new approximation techniques for analyzing pair production in complex fields.

Findings

Quantum kinetic and scattering approaches are equivalent.

New approximation methods are proposed and tested.

Insights for generalization to multi-dimensional fields are provided.

Abstract

For Schwinger pair production with background electric fields varying only in time, it is shown that the quantum kinetic approach, based on the quantum Vlasov equation, and the quantum mechanical scattering approach, are completely equivalent. This different perspective on the quantum kinetic approach suggests new approximation methods, which are tested in detail using a soluble pulse-like field configuration, and may give useful insight for generalization to more general electric fields, varying in more than 1 dimension.