Positron energy distribution in factorized trident process

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the energy distribution of positrons generated when ultra-relativistic electrons interact with intense laser beams, modeling the process as a two-step sequence involving photon emission and pair creation.

Contribution

It introduces a factorized probabilistic model for the positron energy distribution in the trident process during laser-electron interactions.

Findings

Positron energy distribution can be effectively modeled using a two-step process.

The model aligns with known nonlinear Compton and Breit-Wheeler processes.

Provides a framework for predicting positron spectra in high-intensity laser experiments.

Abstract

We estimate the energy distribution of positrons produced in the interaction of ultra-relativistic electrons with a high-intensity laser beam. The underlying trident process is factorized on the probabilistic level. That is, we deploy a two-step mechanism for the formation of electron-positron pairs. In the first step, a high-energy photon is produced as a result of nonlinear Compton scattering. In the second step, an electron-positron pair is created by the nonlinear (multi-photon) Breit-Wheeler process.