Coulomb effects on electromagnetic pair production in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions

  • We calculate the asymptotic high-energy amplitude for electrons scattering at one ion, as well as at two colliding ions, by means of perturbation theory. We show that the interaction with one ion eikonalizes and that the interaction with two ions causally decouples. We are able to put previous results on perturbative grounds and propose further applications for the obtained rules for interactions on the light cone. We discuss the implications of the eikonal amplitude on the pair production probability in ultrarelativistic peripheral heavy-ion collisions. In this context the Weizsäcker-Williams method is shown to be exact in the ultrarelativistic limit, irrespective of the produced particles’ mass. A new equivalent single-photon distribution is derived, which correctly accounts for Coulomb distortions. The impact on single-photon induced processes is discussed.

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Metadaten
Author:Ulrich Eichmann, Joachim ReinhardtGND, Stefan SchrammGND, Walter GreinerGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30-30230
URL:http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRA/v59/p1223
Parent Title (German):Physical review A
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2006/07/14
Year of first Publication:1999
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2006/07/14
Volume:59
Issue:2
Page Number:15
First Page:1223
Last Page:1237
HeBIS-PPN:266054560
Institutes:Physik / Physik
Dewey Decimal Classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 53 Physik / 530 Physik
PACS-Classification:10.00.00 THE PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS (for experimental methods and instrumentation for elementary-particle physics, see section 29) / 11.00.00 General theory of fields and particles (see also 03.65.-w Quantum mechanics and 03.70.+k Theory of quantized fields) / 11.80.-m Relativistic scattering theory
10.00.00 THE PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS (for experimental methods and instrumentation for elementary-particle physics, see section 29) / 12.00.00 Specific theories and interaction models; particle systematics / 12.20.-m Quantum electrodynamics
20.00.00 NUCLEAR PHYSICS / 25.00.00 Nuclear reactions: specific reactions / 25.75.-q Relativistic heavy-ion collisions (collisions induced by light ions studied to calibrate relativistic heavy-ion collisions should be classified under both 25.75.-q and sections 13 or 25 appropriate to the light ions)
Licence (German):License LogoDeutsches Urheberrecht