Simulations of relativistic-quantum plasmas using real-time lattice scalar QED

Abstract

Real-time lattice quantum electrodynamics (QED) provides a unique tool for simulating plasmas in the strong-field regime, where collective plasma scales are not well-separated from relativistic-quantum scales. As a toy model, we study scalar QED, which describes self-consistent interactions between charged bosons and electromagnetic fields. To solve this model on a computer, we first discretize the scalar-QED action on a lattice, in a way that respects geometric structures of exterior calculus and U(1)-gauge symmetry. The lattice scalar QED can then be solved, in the classical-statistics regime, by advancing an ensemble of statistically equivalent initial conditions in time, using classical field equations obtained by extremizing the discrete action. To demonstrate the capability of our numerical scheme, we apply it to two example problems. The first example is the propagation of linear waves, where we recover analytic wave dispersion relations using numerical spectrum. The second example is an intense laser interacting with a 1D plasma slab, where we demonstrate natural transition from wakefield acceleration to pair production when the wave amplitude exceeds the Schwinger threshold. Our real-time lattice scheme is fully explicit and respects local conservation laws, making it reliable for long-time dynamics. The algorithm is readily parallelized using domain decomposition, and the ensemble may be computed using quantum parallelism in the future.

12 pages, 7 figures

References in corpus (14)

• Real-time dynamics of lattice gauge theories with a few-qubit quantum computer
• Dynamically assisted Schwinger mechanism
• Momentum signatures for Schwinger pair production in short laser pulses with a sub-cycle structure
• Schwinger pair production in space- and time-dependent electric fields: Relating the Wigner formalism to quantum kinetic theory
• On the equivalence between the Boltzmann equation and classical field theory at large occupation numbers
• Quantum corrections to the dynamics of interacting bosons: beyond the truncated Wigner approximation
• Quantum versus classical statistical dynamics of an ultracold Bose gas
• Pair Production Beyond the Schwinger Formula in Time-Dependent Electric Fields
• Explicit high-order non-canonical symplectic particle-in-cell algorithms for Vlasov-Maxwell systems
• Chiral magnetic effect and anomalous transport from real-time lattice simulations
• Low-cost fermions in classical field simulations
• Relativistic Laser-Plasma Interactions in the Quantum Regime
• Anomaly-induced dynamical refringence in strong-field QED
• Effective action approach to wave propagation in scalar QED plasmas

Cited by in corpus (19)

• Advances in QED with intense background fields
• Charged particle motion and radiation in strong electromagnetic fields
• Relativistic Plasma Physics in Supercritical Fields
• Structure-Preserving Geometric Particle-in-Cell Methods for Vlasov-Maxwell Systems
• Quantum Computing for Fusion Energy Science Applications
• Explicit Structure-Preserving Geometric Particle-in-Cell Algorithm in Curvilinear Orthogonal Coordinate Systems and Its Applications to Whole-Device 6D Kinetic Simulations of Tokamak Physics
• Collisional strong-field QED kinetic equations from first principles
• Plasma physics in strong-field regimes: theories and simulations
• Spacetime-dependent electric field effects in vacuum and plasma using the Wigner-formalism
• Real-time lattice gauge theory actions: unitarity, convergence, and path integral contour deformations
• Slow manifolds of classical Pauli particle enable structure-preserving geometric algorithms for guiding center dynamics
• Field theory and structure-preserving geometric particle-in-cell algorithm for drift wave instability and turbulence
• Collective plasma effects of electron-positron pairs in beam-driven QED cascades
• Gauge invariant canonical symplectic algorithms for real-time lattice strong-field quantum electrodynamics
• Applicability of the Klein-Gordon equation for pair production in vacuum and plasma
• Variational Schemes and Geometric Simulations for a Hydrodynamic-Electrodynamic Model of Surface Plasmon Polaritons
• Symmetries and Local Conservation Laws of Variational Schemes for the Surface Plasmon Polaritons
• Plasma Physics in Strong Field Regimes
• Simulating plasma wave propagation on a superconducting quantum chip