Strong field effects in laser pulses: the Wigner formalism
arXiv:1011.1923 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.83.065007
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.
9 pages, 12 .eps figures. Version 2: introduction extended. Published version
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