The non-perturbative electron-positron pair production (Schwinger effect) is considered for space- and time-dependent electric fields $\vec{E}(\vec{x},t)$. Based on the Dirac-Heisenberg-Wigner (DHW), formalism we derive a system of partial differential equations of infinite order for the sixteen irreducible components of the Wigner function. In the limit of spatially homogeneous fields the Vlasov equation of quantum kinetic theory (QKT) is rediscovered. It is shown that the quantum kinetic formalism can be exactly solved in the case of a constant electric field $E(t)=E_0$ and the Sauter-type electric field $E(t)=E_0\operatorname{sech}^2(t/τ)$. These analytic solutions translate into corresponding expressions within the DHW formalism and allow to discuss the effect of higher derivatives. We observe that spatial field variations typically exert a strong influence on the components of the Wigner function for large momenta or for late times.
We study the influence of light quark loops on the Wigner phase by solving coupled Dyson-Schwinger equations for quark propagator and gluon propagator. We take the gluon propagator in the Nambu phase from $N_f$ = 2 unquenched lattice QCD and choose various phenomenological models for the quark-gluon vertex. The gluon propagator in Winger phase is assumed to be different from that in the Nambu phase only due to the vacuum polarization of the quark loop. We obtain the Wigner solution of the coupled equations, compared with that from solving only the equation of the quark propagator. We discussed…
We show that QCD4 with transverse confinement can be approximately compactified into QCD2 with a transverse quark mass $m_{{}_T}$ that is obtained by solving a set of coupled transverse eigenvalue equations. In the limits of a strong coupling and a large number of flavors, QCD2 further admits Schwinger QED2-type bosonized solutions. We therefore examine phenomenologically the space-time dynamics of produced particles in string fragmentation by studying the Wigner function of produced bosons in Schwinger QED2, which mimics many features of string fragmentation in quantum chromodynamics. We find…
The vacuum of quantum electrodynamics is unstable against the formation of many-body states in the presence of an external electric field, manifesting itself as the creation of electron-positron pairs (Schwinger effect). This effect has been a long-standing but still unobserved prediction as the generation of the required field strengths has not been feasible so far. However, due to the advent of a new generation of high-intensity laser systems such as the European XFEL or the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI), this effect might eventually become observable within the next decades. Based on t…
We present a comparison of two methods to compute the momentum spectrum and the Schwinger pair creation rate for pulsed rotating electric fields: one based upon the real-time Dirac--Heisenberg--Wigner (DHW) formalism and a semiclassical approximation based on a scattering ansatz. For the semiclassical method we propose to either perform numerical calculations or an additional approximation based on an analytical solution for the constant rotating field. We find that both numerical methods are complementary with respect to computation time as well as accuracy. The approximate method shows the s…
Non-perturbative electron-positron pair creation (Schwinger effect) is studied based on the equal-time Wigner formalism in 1+1 dimensions. An ab initio calculation of the Schwinger effect in the presence of a simple space- and time-dependent electric field pulse is performed for the first time, allowing for the calculation of the time evolution of observable quantities such as the charge density, the particle number density or the total number of created particles. We predict a new self-bunching effect of charges in phase space due to the spatial and temporal structure of the pulse.
Via a combination of analytical and numerical methods, we study electron-positron pair creation by the electromagnetic field ${\bf A}(t,{\bf r})=[f(ct-x)+f(ct+x)]{\bf e}_y$ of two colliding laser pulses. Employing a generalized WKB approach, we find that the pair creation rate along the symmetry plane $x=0$ (where one would expect the maximum contribution) displays the same exponential dependence as for a purely time-dependent electric field ${\bf A}(t)=2f(ct){\bf e}_y$. The pre-factor in front of this exponential does also contain corrections due to focusing or de-focusing effects induced by …
We study the stability of the highest symmetric solution (Wigner-solution) of Dyson-Schwinger equations in chiral limit and at zero temperature. Our results confirm that if the chemical potential is not very large, the QCD vacuum is in the chiral symmetry breaking phase and the quantum phase-transition of the chiral symmetry restoration is in first order. Meanwhile it seems that there is not competition between chiral symmetry breaking phase and color superconductivity phase since the color superconductivity phase appears only if the chemical potential is very large. Moreover, we propose that …
An overview of the theory and phenomenology of hadrons and QCD is provided from a Dyson-Schwinger equation viewpoint. Following a discussion of the definition and realisation of light-quark confinement, the nonperturbative nature of the running mass in QCD and inferences from the gap equation relating to the radius of convergence for expansions of observables in the current-quark mass are described. Some exact results for pseudoscalar mesons are also highlighted, with details relating to the U_A(1) problem, and calculated masses of the lightest J=0,1 states are discussed. Studies of nucleon pr…
Recent studies of the dynamically assisted Schwinger effect have shown that particle production is significantly enhanced by a proper choice of the electric field. We demonstrate that optimal control theory provides a systematic means of modifying the pulse shape in order to maximize the particle yield. We employ the quantum kinetic framework and derive the relevant optimal control equations. By means of simple examples we discuss several important issues of the optimization procedure such as constraints, initial conditions or scaling. By relating our findings to established results we demonst…
We develop a formalism to describe the particle production out of equilibrium in terms of dynamical spectral functions, i.e. Wigner transformed Pauli-Jordan's and Hadamard's functions. We take an explicit example of a spatially homogeneous scalar theory under pulsed electric fields and investigate the time evolution of the spectral functions. In the out-state we find an oscillatory peak in Hadamard's function as a result of the mixing between positive- and negative-energy waves. The strength of this peak is of the linear order of the Bogoliubov mixing coefficient, whereas the peak correspondin…
Electron-positron pair production in spatially and temporally inhomogeneous electric and magnetic fields is studied within the Dirac-Heisenberg-Wigner formalism (quantum kinetic theory) through computing the corresponding Wigner functions. The focus is on discussing the particle momentum spectrum regarding signatures of Schwinger and multiphoton pair production. Special emphasis is put on studying the impact of a strong dynamical magnetic field on the particle distribution functions. As the equal-time Wigner approach is formulated in terms of partial integro-differential equations an entire se…
This work covers electron positron pair production in spatially homogeneous electric (and magnetic) fields. Different field configurations are looked at in order to study various phenomena including multiphoton pair production, Sauter-Schwinger pair production and dynamically assisted pair production. The main focus lies on pulsed, rotating fields with one main frequency component which are called rotating Sauter pulses. The results are obtained via two numerical methods, that rest on different theoretical approaches. A generic method is derived from the Dirac-Heisenberg-Wigner (DHW) formalism…
We derive recently obtained relations, relating the logarithmic gauge coupling derivative of the hadron mass and the cosmological constant to the matter and vacuum gluon condensates, within a Hamiltonian framework. The key idea is a canonical transformation which brings the relevant part of the Hamiltonian into a suitable form. Furthermore we illustrate the relations within the Schwinger model and ${\cal N}=2$ super Yang Mills theory (Seiberg-Witten theory).
Several years ago Schwinger proposed a physical mechanism for sonoluminescence in terms of photon production due to changes in the properties of the quantum-electrodynamic (QED) vacuum arising from a collapsing dielectric bubble. This mechanism can be re-phrased in terms of the Casimir effect and has recently been the subject of considerable controversy. The present paper probes Schwinger's suggestion in detail: Using the sudden approximation we calculate Bogolubov coefficients relating the QED vacuum in the presence of the expanded bubble to that in the presence of the collapsed bubble. In th…
Electron-positron pair production from vacuum in external electric fields with space and time dependencies is studied numerically using real time Dirac-Heisenberg-Wigner formalism. The influence of spatial focusing scale of the electric field on momentum distribution and the total yield of the particles is examined by considering standing wave mode of the electric field with different temporal configurations. With the decrease of spatial extent of the external field, signatures of the temporal field are weaken in the momentum spectrum. Moreover, in the extremely small spatial extent, novel fea…
We explore Schwinger pair production in rotating time-dependent electric fields using the real-time DHW formalism. We determine the time evolution of the Wigner function as well as asymptotic particle distributions neglecting back-reactions on the electric field. Whereas qualitative features can be understood in terms of effective Keldysh parameters, the field rotation leaves characteristic imprints in the momentum distribution that can be interpreted in terms of interference and multiphoton effects. These phenomena may seed characteristic features of QED cascades created in the antinodes of a…
Pair production in inhomogeneous electric fields with symmetrical frequency chirp is studied numerically using the Dirac-Heisenberg-Wigner formalism. We investigate high- and low-frequency modes and consider two carrier envelope phases. Momentum spectrum is sensitive to chirp causing different interference effect for different spatial scales as well as the carrier phase of the external field. The reduced particle number is in general enhanced with increasing chirp. The effect of spatial scale of the field on the reduced particle number is also examined. It is found that it is enhanced at small…
We study out of equilibrium thermal field theories with switching on the interaction occurring at finite time using the Wigner transforms (in relative space-time) of two-point functions. For two-point functions we define the concept of projected function: it is zero if any of times refers to the time before switching on the interaction, otherwise it depends only on the relative coordinates. This definition includes bare propagators, one-loop self-energies, etc. For the infinite-average-time limit of the Wigner transforms of projected functions we define the analyticity assumptions: (1) The fun…
We summarise applications of Dyson-Schwinger equations to the theory and phenomenology of hadrons. Some exact results for pseudoscalar mesons are highlighted with details relating to the U_A(1) problem. We describe inferences from the gap equation relating to the radius of convergence for expansions of observables in the current-quark mass. We recapitulate upon studies of nucleon electromagnetic form factors, providing a comparison of the ln-weighted ratios of Pauli and Dirac form factors for the neutron and proton.
We extend Schwinger's ideas regarding sonoluminescence by explicitly calculating the Bogolubov coefficients relating the QED vacuum states associated with changes in a dielectric bubble. Sudden (non-adiabatic) changes in the refractive index lead to an efficient production of real photons with a broadband spectrum, and a high-frequency cutoff that arises from the asymptotic behaviour of the dielectric constant.
We introduce an extension to the ladder truncated Bethe-Salpeter equation for mesons and the rainbow truncated quark Dyson-Schwinger equations which includes quark-loop corrections to the gluon propagator. This truncation scheme obeys the axialvector Ward-Takahashi identity relating the quark self-energy and the Bethe-Salpeter kernel. Two different approximations to the Yang-Mills sector are used as input: the first is a sophisticated truncation of the full Yang-Mills Dyson-Schwinger equations, the second is a phenomenologically motivated form. We find that the spectra and decay constants of p…
We have investigated strange and charm quark-pair production in the early stage of heavy ion collisions. Our kinetic model is based on a Wigner function method for fermion-pair production in strong non-Abelian fields. To describe the overlap of two colliding heavy ions we have applied the time-dependent color field with a pulse-like shape. The calculations have been performed in an SU(2)-color model with finite current quark masses. For strange quark-pair production the obtained results are close to the Schwinger limit, as we expected. For charm quark the large inverse temporal width of the fi…
The aim of the article is to construct the S-matrix interpretation of the perturbation theory for the Wigner functions generating functional at a finite temperature. The temperature is introduced in the theory by the way typical for the microcanonical description. The perturbation theory contains the two-temperature Green functions. The two possible boundary conditions are considered. One of them is usual in a field theory vacuum boundary condition. The corresponding generating functional can be used in the particle physics. Another type of the boundary condition assumes that the system under …
We present a detailed, all-order study of gluon mass generation within the massless bound-state formalism, which constitutes the general framework for the systematic implementation of the Schwinger mechanism in non-Abelian gauge theories. The main ingredient of this formalism is the dynamical formation of bound-states with vanishing mass, which give rise to effective vertices containing massless poles; these latter vertices, in turn, trigger the Schwinger mechanism, and allow for the gauge-invariant generation of an effective gluon mass. This particular approach has the conceptual advantage of…
By using Dirac-Heisenberg-Wigner formalism we study electron-positron pair production for linear, elliptic, nearly circular and circular polarizations of electric fields with symmetrical frequency chirp, and we obtain Momentum spectra and pair yield. The difference of results among polarized fields is obvious for the small chirp. When the chirp parameter increases, the momentum spectra tend to exhibit the multiphoton pair generation that is characterized by the multi-concentric ring structure. The increase of number density is also remarkable compared to the case of asymmetrical frequency chir…
We discuss spontaneous spin current generation from the vacuum by strong electric fields as a result of interplay between the Schwinger mechanism and a spin-orbit coupling. By considering a homogeneous slow strong electric field superimposed by a fast weak transverse electric field, we explicitly evaluate the vacuum expectation value of a spin current (the Bargmann-Wigner spin current) by numerically solving the Dirac equation. We show that a non-vanishing spin current polarized in the direction perpendicular to the electric fields flows mostly in the longitudinal direction. We also find that …
The vertex connecting one background gluon with two quantum ones constitutes a central ingredient in the gauge-invariant Schwinger-Dyson equation that determines the non-perturbative dynamics of the gluon propagator. This vertex satisfies a Ward identity with respect to the background gluon, and a Slavnov-Taylor identity with respect to the two quantum gluons. We present a complete Ansatz for this vertex, which satisfies both aforementioned identities. This entire construction depends crucially on a set of constraints relating the various form-factors of the ghost Green's functions appearing i…
Electron-positron pair production in strong electric fields, i.e., the Sauter-Schwinger effect, is studied using the real-time Dirac-Heisenberg-Wigner formalism. Hereby, the electric field is modeled to be a homogeneous, single-pulse field with subcritical peak field strength. Momentum spectra are calculated for four different polarizations - linear, elliptic, near-circular elliptic or circular - as well as a number of linear frequency chirps. With details depending on the chosen polarization the frequency chirps lead to strong interference effects and thus quite substantial changes in the mom…
We derive solutions to the Schwinger-Dyson equations on the Closed-Time-Path for a scalar field in the limit where backreaction is neglected. In Wigner space, the two-point Wightman functions have the curious property that the equilibrium component has a finite width, while the out-of equilibrium component has zero width. This feature is confirmed in a numerical simulation for scalar field theory with quartic interactions. When substituting these solutions into the collision term, we observe that an expansion including terms of all orders in gradients leads to an effective finite-width. Beside…
Towards a bottom-up formulation of spin kinetic theory
Interdisciplinary Center for Theoretical Study, University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学理论物理交叉中心）；Department of Physics, University of Illinois, Chicago（伊利诺伊大学芝加哥分校物理系）；School of Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen)（香港中文大学（深圳）理学院）
We discuss an ab initio world-line approach to constructing phase space distributions in systems with internal symmetries. Starting from the Schwinger-Keldysh real time path integral in quantum field theory, we derive the most general extension of the Wigner phase space distribution to include color and spin degrees of freedom in terms of dynamical Grassmann variables. The corresponding Liouville distribution for colored particles, which obey Wong's equation, has only singlet and octet components, while higher moments are fully constrained by the Grassmann algebra. The extension of phase space…
We investigate fermion--anti-fermion production in 1+1 dimensional QED using real-time lattice techniques. In this non-perturbative approach the full quantum dynamics of fermions is included while the gauge field dynamics can be accurately represented by classical-statistical simulations for relevant field strengths. We compute the non-equilibrium time evolution of gauge invariant correlation functions implementing 'low-cost' Wilson fermions. Introducing a lattice generalization of the Dirac-Heisenberg-Wigner function, we recover the Schwinger formula in 1+1 dimensions in the limit of a static…
