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arXiv · 1011.1923

Strong field effects in laser pulses: the Wigner formalism

Florian Hebenstreit·Anton Ilderton·Mattias Marklund·Jens Zamanian
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Abstract

We investigate strong field vacuum effects using a phase space approach based on the Wigner formalism. We calculate the Wigner function in a strong null-field background exactly, using lightfront field theory. The Wigner function exhibits the distinct features of strong field QED: in particular we identify the effective mass in a laser pulse, compare it to the well-known mass shift in a periodic plane wave and identify signals of multi-photon absorption and emission. Finally, we show how to extend our results to describe vacuum pair production in colliding laser pulses.

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Florian Hebenstreit, Anton Ilderton, Mattias Marklund, Jens Zamanian. 2010-11-08. Strong field effects in laser pulses: the Wigner formalism. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.83.065007

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