Schwinger mechanism revisited

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent theoretical developments on the Schwinger mechanism, highlighting approaches that handle both non-perturbative and perturbative particle production in varying electromagnetic fields.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of methods addressing the Schwinger mechanism in complex, time- and space-dependent fields, extending understanding beyond traditional models.

Findings

Recent approaches can handle general time and space-dependent fields.

The methods capture both non-perturbative and perturbative particle production.

The review consolidates theoretical advancements in the Schwinger mechanism.

Abstract

In this article, we review recent theoretical works on the Schwingermechanism of particle production in external electrical fields. Although the non-perturbative Schwinger mechanism is at the center of this discussion, many of the approaches that we discuss can cope with general time and space dependent fields, and therefore also capture the perturbative contributions to particle production.