Pair Photoproduction in Constant and Homogeneous Electromagnetic Fields

TL;DR

This paper investigates photon-induced pair creation in constant electromagnetic fields, developing new approximations for different energy regimes and analyzing the effects of electric and magnetic fields on the process.

Contribution

The authors introduce a new approximation for intermediate photon energies and analyze the influence of electric fields on pair creation, extending previous models.

Findings

Correction to quasiclassical approximation at high energies

Electric field removes divergence in pair creation probability

Electric field dominates pair creation at low photon energies

Abstract

The process of pair creation by a photon in a constant and homogeneous electromagnetic field of an arbitrary configuration is investigating. At high energy the correction to the standard quasiclassical approximation (SQA) has been calculated. In the region of intermediate photon energies where SQA is inapplicable the new approximation, developed recently by authors, is used. The influence of weak electric field on the process in a magnetic field is considered. In particular, in the presence of electric field the root divergence in the probability of pair creation on the Landau energy levels is vanished. For smaller photon energies the low energy approximation is used. The found probability describes the absorption of soft photon by particles created by field. At low photon energy the electric field action dominates and the influence of magnetic field on the process is connected with the interaction of it and the magnetic moment of creating particles.