Electron-positron pair creation characterized by the conversion energy

TL;DR

This paper introduces the conversion energy as a new way to characterize electron-positron pair creation, providing detailed insights into the creation mechanisms and yields across various field configurations.

Contribution

It proposes the conversion energy as a novel, effective parameter for analyzing pair creation processes, applicable to complex scenarios like multi-photon and assisted Schwinger mechanisms.

Findings

Conversion energy accurately characterizes creation channels.

Simulation results match theoretical predictions.

Applicable to complex pair creation processes.

Abstract

It is demonstrated that a pair can be characterized under which mechanism it was created according to its conversion energy, a quantity defined as the sum of electron and its conjugate positron's mass-energy, in the study of electron-positron pair creation. The value of this quantity is checked with quantum field theoretical simulations for several field configurations and found that it can describe the creation process with rich physical picture, showing all the creation channels and giving the yields of each channel specifically. Evenly as a very convenient and powerful detection quantity it can be applicable to some complicated pair creation processes such as that triggered by cooperation of two different photons as well as the dynamically assisted Schwinger mechanism.