Numerical computation of dynamical Schwinger-like pair production in graphene

TL;DR

This paper presents a numerical method to compute electron-hole pair production in graphene under time-dependent electric fields, using strong field QED and a split-operator scheme, revealing quantum interference effects.

Contribution

It introduces a numerical approach for solving the Dirac equation in momentum space for graphene under strong fields, enabling detailed analysis of pair production phenomena.

Findings

Electron momentum density computed for realistic laser pulses.

Observation of quantum interference patterns similar to Landau-Zener-Stückelberg interferometry.

Method demonstrates effectiveness on parallel computing architectures.

Abstract

The density of electron-hole pairs produced in a graphene sample immersed in a homogeneous time-dependent electrical field is evaluated. Because low energy charge carriers in graphene are described by relativistic quantum mechanics, the calculation is performed within the strong field quantum electrodynamics formalism, requiring a solution of the Dirac equation in momentum space. The latter is solved using a split-operator numerical scheme on parallel computers, allowing for the investigation of several field configurations. The strength of the method is illustrated by computing the electron momentum density generated from a realistic laser pulse model. We observe quantum interference patterns reminiscent of Landau-Zener-St\"{u}ckelberg interferometry.