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S. P. Gavrilov

Publications and source records attributed to S. P. Gavrilov.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Photon emission due to vacuum instability under the action of a quasi-constant electric field

Following a nonperturbative formulation of strong-field QED developed in our earlier works, we consider photon emission accompanying vacuum instability under the action of a quasi-constant strong electric field of finite duration T. We construct closed formulas for the total probabilities and study the photon emission accompanying an electron-positron pair creation from a vacuum. We establish the domain of the applicability of the locally constant field approximation (LCFA) for the photon emission. We study angular and polarization distribution of the emission as well as emission characteristics in a high-frequency approximations with respect of 1/T. The results presented in this work is suitable to a further development of the LCFA proposed in [Phys. Rev. D 95, 076013 (2017)].

hep-ph↗

Schwinger mechanism of magnon-antimagnon pair production on magnetic field inhomogeneities and the bosonic Klein effect

Effective field theory of low-energy exitations-magnons that describes antiferromagnets is mapped into scalar electrodynamics of a charged scalar field interacting with an external electromagnetic potential. In the presence of a constant inhomogeneous external magnetic field the latter problem is technically reduced to the problem of charged-particle creation from the vacuum by an electric potential step (x step). Magnetic moment plays here the role of the electric charge, and magnons and antimagnons differ from each other in the sign of the magnetic moment. In the framework of such a consideration, it is important to take into account the vacuum instability (the Schwinger effect) under the magnon-antimagnon production on magnetic field inhomogeneities (an analog of pair creation from the vacuum by electric-like fields). We demonstrate how to use the strong field QED with x steps developed by the authors (SPG and DMG) to study the magnon-antimagnon pair production on magnetic field inhomogeneities. Characteristics of the vacuum instability obtained for some magnetic steps that allows exact solving the Klein-Gordon equation are presented. In particular, we consider examples of magnetic steps with very sharp field derivatives that correspond to a regularization of the Klein step. In the case of smooth-gradient steps, we describe an universal behavior of the flux density of created magnon pairs. We also note that since the low-energy magnons are bosons with small effective mass, then for the first time maybe the opportunity will arise to observe the Schwinger effect in the case of the Bose statistics, in particular, the bosonic Klein effect in laboratory conditions. Moreover, it turns out that in the case of the Bose statistics appears a new mechanism for amplifying the effect of the pair creation, which we call statistically assisted Schwinger effect.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Vacuum instability in QED with an asymmetric x-step. New example of exactly solvable case

We present a new exactly solvable case in strong-field QED with one-dimensional step potential (x-step). The corresponding x-step is given by an analytic asymmetric with respect to the axis x reflection function. The step can be considered as a certain analytic "deformation" of the symmetric Sauter field. Moreover, it can be treated as a new regularization of the Klein step field. We study the vacuum instability caused by this x-step in the framework of a nonperturbative approach to strong-field QED. Exact solutions of the Dirac equation used in the corresponding nonperturbative calculations, are represented in the form of stationary plane waves with special left and right asymptotics and identified as components of initial and final wave packets of particles. We show that in spite of the fact that the symmetry with respect to positive and negative bands of energies is broken, distribution of created pairs and other physical quantities can be expressed via elementary functions. We consider the processes of transmission and reflection in the ranges of the stable vacuum and study physical quantities specifying the vacuum instability. We find the differential mean numbers of electron-positron pairs created from the vacuum, the components of current density and energy-momentum tensor of the created electrons and positrons leaving the area of the strong field under consideration. Besides, we study the particular case of the particle creation due to a weakly inhomogeneous electric field and obtain explicitly the total number, the current density and energy-momentum tensor of created particles. Unlike the symmetric case of the Sauter field the asymmetric form of the field under consideration causes the energy density and longitudinal pressure of created electrons to be not equal to the energy density and longitudinal pressure of created positrons.

hep-th↗

Photon emission in the graphene under the action of a quasiconstant external electric field

Following a nonperturbative formulation of strong-field QED developed in our earlier works, and using the Dirac model of the graphene, we construct a reduced QED_{3,2} to describe one species of the Dirac fermions in the graphene interacting with an external electric field and photons. On this base, we consider the photon emission in this model and construct closed formulas for the total probabilities. Using the derived formulas, we study probabilities for the photon emission by an electron and for the photon emission accompanying the vacuum instability in the quasiconstant electric field that acts in the graphene plane during the time interval T. We study angular and polarization distribution of the emission as well as emission characteristics in a high frequency and low frequency approximations. We analyze the applicability of the presented calculations to the graphene physics in laboratory conditions. In fact, we are talking about a possible observation of the Schwinger effect in these conditions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Calculations of vacuum mean values of spinor field current and energy-momentum tensor in a constant electric background

In the framework of strong-field QED with $x$-steps, we study vacuum mean values of the current density and energy--momentum tensor of the quantized spinor field placed in the so-called $L$-constant electric background. The latter background can be, for example, understood as the electric field confined between capacitor plates, which are separated by a sufficiently large distance $L$. First, we reveal peculiarities of nonperturbative calculating of mean values in strong-field QED with $x$-steps in general and, in the $L$-constant electric field, in particular. We propose a new renormalization and volume regularization procedures that are adequate for these calculations. We find necessary representations for singular spinor functions in the external background under consideration. With their help, we calculate the above mentioned vacuum means. In the obtained expressions, we show how to separate global contributions due to the particle creation and local ones due to the vacuum polarization. We demonstrate how these contributions can be related to the renormalized effective Heisenberg-Euler Lagrangian.

hep-th↗

Vacuum instability due to the creation of neutral Fermion with anomalous magnetic moment by magnetic-field inhomogeneities

We study neutral Fermions pair creation with anomalous magnetic moment from the vacuum by time-independent magnetic-field inhomogeneity as an external background. We show that the problem is technically reduced to the problem of charged-particle creation by an electric step, for which the nonperturbative formulation of strong-field QED is used. We consider a magnetic step given by an analytic function and whose inhomogeneity may vary from a "gradual" to a "sharp" field configuration. We obtain corresponding exact solutions of the Dirac-Pauli equation with this field and calculate pertinent quantities characterizing vacuum instability, such as the differential mean number and flux density of pairs created from the vacuum, vacuum fluxes of energy and magnetic moment. We show that the vacuum flux in one direction is formed from fluxes of particles and antiparticles of equal intensity and with the same magnetic moments parallel to the external field. Backreaction to the vacuum fluxes leads to a smoothing of the magnetic-field inhomogeneity. We also estimate critical magnetic field intensities, near which the phenomenon could be observed.

hep-th↗

Spinor field singular functions in QED with strong external backgrounds

We construct and study singular functions in strong-field $QED$ with two external electromagnetic fields that represent principally different types of external backgrounds, the first one belongs to the class of so-called $t$-potential electric steps (electric-like fields that are switched on and off at initial and final time instants), and the second one belongs to the class of so-called $x$-potential electric steps (time-independent electric-like fields of constant direction that are concentrated in a restricted spatial area). As the first background ($T$-constant electric field) is chosen an uniform electric field which acts during a finite time interval $T$ , whereas as the second background ($L$-constant electric field) is chosen a constant electric field confined between two capacitor plates separated by a large distance $L$. For the both cases we find \textrm{in}- and \textrm{out}-solutions of the Dirac equation in terms of light cone variables. With the help of these solutions, we construct Fock-Schwinger proper-time integral representations for all the singular functions that provide nonperturbative (with respect to the external backgrounds) calculations of any transition amplitudes and mean values of any physical quantities. Considering calculations in the $T$-constant field and in the $L$-constant field as different regularizations of the corresponding calculations in the constant uniform electric field, we have demonstrated their equivalence for sufficiently large $T$ and $L$.

hep-th↗

Vacuum instability in time-dependent electric fields. New example of exactly solvable case

A new exactly solvable case in strong-field quantum electrodynamics with a time-dependent external electric field is presented. The corresponding field is given by an analytic function, which is asymmetric (in contrast to Sauter-like electric field) with respect to the time instant, where it reaches its maximum value, that is why we call it the analytic asymmetric electric field. We managed to exactly solve the Dirac equation with such a field, which made it possible to calculate characteristics of the corresponding vacuum instability nonperturbatively. We construct the so-called in- and out-solutions and with their help calculate mean differential and total numbers of created charged particles, probability of the vacuum to remain a vacuum, vacuum mean values of current density and energy-momentum tensor of the particles. We study the vacuum instability in regimes of rapidly and slowly changing analytic asymmetric electric field, and compare the obtained results with corresponding ones obtained earlier for the case of the symmetric Sauter-like electric field. We also compare exact results in the regime of slowly changing field with corresponding results obtained within the slowly varying field approximation recently proposed by two of the authors, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of such an approximation.

hep-th↗

Regularization, renormalization and consistency conditions in QED with x-electric potential steps

The present article is an important addition to the nonperturbative formulation of QED with x-steps presented by Gavrilov and Gitman in Phys. Rev. D. 93, 045002 (2016). Here we propose a new renormalization and volume regularization procedures which allow one to calculate and distinguish physical parts of different matrix elements of operators of the current and of the energy-momentum tensor, at the same time relating the latter quantities with characteristics of the vacuum instability. For this purpose, a modified inner product and a parameter τ of the regularization are introduced. The latter parameter can be fixed using physical considerations. In the Klein zone this parameter can be interpreted as the time of the observation of the pair production effect. In the refined formulation of QED with x-steps, we succeeded to consider the backreaction problem. In the case of an uniform electric field E confined between two capacitor plates separated by a finite distance L, we see that the smallness of the backreaction implies a restriction (the consistency condition) on the product EL from above.

hep-th↗

In- and out-states of scalar particles confined between two capacitor plates

In the present article, using a non-commutative integration method of linear differential equations, we, considering the Klein-Gordon equation with the $L$-constant electric field with large $L$ and using the light cone variables, find new complete sets of its exact solutions. These solutions can be related by integral transformations to previously known solutions that were found in Phys. Rev. D. $\textbf{93}$, 045033(2016). Then, using the general theory developed in Phys. Rev. D. $\textbf{93}$, 045002 (2016), we construct (in terms of the new solutions) the so-called in- and out-states of scalar particles confined between two capacitor plates.

hep-th↗

Vacuum instability in a constant inhomogeneous electric field. A new example of exact nonperturbative calculations

Basic quantum processes (such as particle creation, reflection, and transmission on the corresponding Klein steps) caused by inverse-square electric fields are calculated. These results represent a new example of exact nonperturbative calculations in the framework of QED. The inverse-square electric field is time-independent, inhomogeneous in the $x$-direction, and is inversely proportional to $x$ squared. We find exact solutions of the Dirac and Klein-Gordon equations with such a field and construct corresponding in- and out-states. With the help of these states and using the techniques developed in the framework of QED with $x$-electric potential steps, we calculate characteristics of the vacuum instability, such as differential and total mean numbers of particles created from the vacuum and vacuum-to-vacuum transition probabilities. We study the vacuum instability for two particular backgrounds: for fields widely stretches over the $x$-axis (small-gradient configuration) and for the fields sharply concentrates near the origin $x=0$ (sharp-gradient configuration). We compare exact results with ones calculated numerically. Finally, we consider the electric field configuration, composed by inverse-square fields and by an $x$-independent electric field between them to study the role of growing and decaying processes in the vacuum instability.

hep-th↗

States of charged quantum fields and their statistical properties in the presence of critical potential steps

Evolution of charged quantum fields under the action of constant nonuniform electric fields is studied. To this end we construct a special generating functional for density operators of the quantum fields with different initial conditions. Then we study some reductions of the density operators. For example, reductions to electron or positron subsystems, reduction induced by measurements, and spatial reduction to the left or to the right subsystems of final particles. We calculate von Neumann entropy for the corresponding reduced density operators, estimating in such a way an information loss. Then we illustrate the obtained results by calculations in a specific background of a strong constant electric field between two infinite capacitor plates separated by a finite distance $L$.

hep-th↗

Pair production from the vacuum by a weakly inhomogeneous space-dependent electric potential step

There exists a clear physical motivation for theoretical studies of the vacuum instability related to the production of electron-positron pairs from a vacuum due to strong external electric fields. Various nonperturbative (with respect to the external fields) calculation methods were developed. Some of these methods are based on possible exact solutions of the Dirac equation. Unfortunately, there are only few cases when such solutions are known. Recently, an approximate but still nonperturbative approach to treat the vacuum instability caused by slowly varying $t$-electric potential steps (time dependent external fields that vanish as $|t|\rightarrow\infty$), which does not depend on the existence of the corresponding exact solutions, was formulated in Ref. [S. P. Gavrilov, D. M. Gitman, Phys. Rev. D \textbf{95}, 076013 (2017)]. Here, we present an approximate calculation method to treat nonperturbatively the vacuum instability in arbitrary weakly inhomogeneous $x$-electric potential steps (time-independent electric fields of a constant direction that are concentrated in restricted space areas, which means that the fields vanish as $|x|\rightarrow\infty$) in the absence of the corresponding exact solutions. Defining the weakly inhomogeneous regime in general terms, we demonstrate the universal character of the vacuum instability. This universality is associated with a large density of states excited from the vacuum by the electric field. Such a density appears in our approach as a large parameter. We derive universal representations for the total number and current density of the created particles. Relations of these representations with a locally constant field approximation for Schwinger's effective action are found.

hep-th↗

Violation of vacuum stability by inverse square electric fields

In the framework of QED with a strong background, we study particle creation (the Schwinger effect) by a time-dependent inverse square electric field. To this end corresponding exact in- and out-solutions of the Dirac and Klein-Gordon equations are found. We calculate the vacuum-to-vacuum probability and differential and total mean numbers of pairs created from the vacuum. For electric fields varying slowly in time, we present detailed calculations of the Schwinger effect and discuss possible asymptotic regimes. The obtained results are consistent with universal estimates of the particle creation effect by electric fields in the locally constant field approximation. Differential and total quantities corresponding to asymmetrical configurations are also discussed in detail. Finally, the inverse square electric field is used to imitate switching on and off processes. Then the case under consideration is compared with the one where an exponential electric field is used to imitate switching on and off processes.

hep-th↗

Role of switching-on and -off effects in the vacuum instability

We find exact differential mean numbers of fermions and bosons created from the vacuum due to a composite electric field of special configuration. This configuration imitates a finite switching-on and -off regime and consists of fields that switch-on exponentially from the infinitely remote past, remains constant during a certain interval $T$ and switch-off exponentially to the infinitely remote future. We show that calculations in the slowly varying field approximation are completely predictable in the framework of a locally constant field approximation. Beyond the slowly varying field approximation, we study effects of fast switching-on and -off in a number of cases when the size of the dimensionless parameter $\sqrt{eE}T$ is either close or exceeds the threshold value that determines the transition from a regime sensitive to on-off parameters to the slowly varying regime for which these effects are secondary.

hep-th↗

Particle scattering and vacuum instability by exponential steps

Particle scattering and vacuum instability in a constant inhomogeneous electric field of particular peak configuration that consists of two (exponentially increasing and exponentially decreasing) independent parts are studied. It presents a new kind of external field where exact solutions of the Dirac and Klein-Gordon equations can be found. We obtain and analyze in- and out-solutions of the Dirac and Klein-Gordon equations in this configuration. By their help we calculate probabilities of particle scattering and characteristics of the vacuum instability. In particular, we consider in details three configurations: a smooth peak, a sharp peak, and a strongly asymmetric peak configuration. We find asymptotic expressions for total mean numbers of created particles and for vacuum-to-vacuum transition probability. We discuss a new regularization of the Klein step by the sharp peak and compare this regularization with another one given by the Sauter potential.

hep-th↗

Exactly solvable cases in QED with t-electric potential steps

In this paper, we present in detail consistent QED (and scalar QED) calculations of particle creation effects in external electromagnetic field that correspond to three most important exactly solvable cases of t-electric potential steps: Sauter-like electric field, T-constant electric field, and exponentially growing and decaying electric fields. In all these cases, we succeeded to obtain new results, such as calculations in modified configurations of the above mentioned steps and detailed considerations of new limiting cases in already studied before steps. As was recently discovered by us, the information derived from considerations of exactly solvable cases allows one to make some general conclusions about quantum effects in fields for which no closed form solutions of the Dirac (or Klein-Gordon) equation are known. In the present article we briefly represent such conclusions about an universal behavior of vacuum mean values in slowly varying strong electric fields.

hep-th↗

Vacuum instability in slowly varying electric fields

Nonperturbative methods have been well-developed for QED with the so-called t-electric potential steps. In this case a calculation technique is based on the existence of specific exact solutions (in and out solutions) of the Dirac equation. However, there are only few cases when such solutions are known. Here, we demonstrate that for t-electric potential steps slowly varying with time there exist physically reasonable approximations that maintain the nonperturbative character of QED calculations even in the absence of the exact solutions. Defining the slowly varying regime in general terms, we can observe a universal character of vacuum effects caused by a strong electric field. In the present article, we find universal approximate representations for the total density of created pairs and vacuum mean values of the current density and energy-momentum tensor that hold true for arbitrary t-electric potential steps slowly varying with time. These representations do not require knowledge of the corresponding solutions of the Dirac equation, they have a form of simple functionals of a given slowly varying electric field. We establish relations of these representations with leading terms of the derivative expansion approximation. These results allow one to formulate some semiclassical approximations that are not restricted by the smallness of differential mean numbers of created pairs.

hep-th↗