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arXiv · 2209.07872

Plasma dynamics at the Schwinger limit and beyond

Gert Brodin·Haidar Al-Naseri·Jens Zamanian·Greger Torgrimsson·Bengt Eliasson
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Abstract

Strong field physics close to or above the Schwinger limit are typically studied with vacuum as initial condition, or by considering test particle dynamics. However, with a plasma present initially, quantum relativistic mechanisms such as Schwinger pair-creation are complemented by classical plasma nonlinearities. In this work we use the Dirac-Heisenberg-Wigner formalism to study the interplay between classical and quantum mechanical mechanisms for ultra-strong electric fields. In particular, the effects of initial density and temperature on the plasma oscillation dynamics are determined.

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Gert Brodin, Haidar Al-Naseri, Jens Zamanian, Greger Torgrimsson, Bengt Eliasson. 2022-09-16. Plasma dynamics at the Schwinger limit and beyond. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.107.035204

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