372 research outputs found
Classical and quantum dynamics of a spin-1/2
We reply to a comment on `Semiclassical dynamics of a spin-1/2 in an
arbitrary magnetic field'.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to Journal of Physics
Multiple electromagnetic electron positron pair production in relativistic heavy ion collisions
We calculate the cross sections for the production of one and more
electron-positron pairs due to the strong electromagnetic fields in
relativistic heavy ion collisions. Using the generating functional of fermions
in an external field we derive the N-pair amplitude. Neglecting the
antisymmetrisation in the final state we find that the total probability to
produce N pairs is a Poisson distribution. We calculate total cross sections
for the production of one pair in lowest order and also include higher-order
corrections from the Poisson distribution up to third order. Furthermore we
calculate cross sections for the production of up to five pairs including
corrections from the Poisson distribution.Comment: 13 pages REVTeX, 4 Postscript figures, This and related papers may
also be obtained from http://www.phys.washington.edu/~hencken
Semiclassical dynamics of a spin-1/2 in an arbitrary magnetic field
The spin coherent state path integral describing the dynamics of a
spin-1/2-system in a magnetic field of arbitrary time-dependence is considered.
Defining the path integral as the limit of a Wiener regularized expression, the
semiclassical approximation leads to a continuous minimal action path with
jumps at the endpoints. The resulting semiclassical propagator is shown to
coincide with the exact quantum mechanical propagator. A non-linear
transformation of the angle variables allows for a determination of the
semiclassical path and the jumps without solving a boundary-value problem. The
semiclassical spin dynamics is thus readily amenable to numerical methods.Comment: 16 pages, submitted to Journal of Physics
Structure of the Coulomb and unitarity corrections to the cross section of pair production in ultra-relativistic nuclear collisions
We analyze the structure of the Coulomb and unitarity corrections to the
single pair production as well as the cross section for the multiple pair
production. In the external field approximation we consider the probability of
pair production at fixed impact parameter between colliding
ultra-relativistic heavy nuclei. We obtain the analytical result for this
probability at large as compared to the electron Compton wavelength. We
estimate also the unitary corrections to the total cross section of the
process.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, RevTeX, references correcte
Strong suppression of Coulomb corrections to the cross section of e+e- pair production in ultrarelativistic nuclear collisions
The Coulomb corrections to the cross section of pair production in
ultrarelativistic nuclear collisions are calculated in the next-to-leading
approximation with respect to the parameter
( are the Lorentz factors of colliding nuclei). We found
considerable reduction of the Coulomb corrections even for large
due to the suppression of the production of pair
with the total energy of the order of a few electron masses in the rest frame
of one of the nuclei. Our result explains why the deviation from the Born
result were not observed in the experiment at SPS.Comment: 4 pages, RevTe
Semiclassical theory of spin-orbit interaction in the extended phase space
We consider the semiclassical theory in a joint phase space of spin and
orbital degrees of freedom. The method is developed from the path integrals
using the spin-coherent-state representation, and yields the trace formula for
the density of states. We discuss special cases, such as weak and strong
spin-orbit coupling, and relate the present theory to the earlier approaches.Comment: 36 pages, 8 figures. Version 2: revised Sec. 4.4 and Appendix B;
minor corrections elsewher
Pair Production from 10 GeV to 10 ZeV
At very high energies, pair production () exhibits many
interesting features. The momentum transfer from the target is very small, so
the reaction probes the macroscopic properties of the target, rather than
individual nuclei. Interference between interactions with different atoms
reduces the pair production cross section considerably below the Bethe-Heitler
values. At very high energies, photonuclear interactions may outnumber pair
production.
In contrast, in crystals, the interaction amplitudes may add coherently,
greatly increasing the cross sections. Pair production in matter-free magnetic
fields is also possible. The highest energy pair production occurs at high
energy particle colliders. This article will compare pair production in these
very different regimes.Comment: 37 pages with 9 figures. Invited Review for "Radiation Physics and
Chemistry" Version for publication, incorporating comments by the referee,
and by Gerhard Baur and Roman Le
Semiclassical theory of spin-orbit interactions using spin coherent states
We formulate a semiclassical theory for systems with spin-orbit interactions.
Using spin coherent states, we start from the path integral in an extended
phase space, formulate the classical dynamics of the coupled orbital and spin
degrees of freedom, and calculate the ingredients of Gutzwiller's trace formula
for the density of states. For a two-dimensional quantum dot with a spin-orbit
interaction of Rashba type, we obtain satisfactory agreement with fully
quantum-mechanical calculations. The mode-conversion problem, which arose in an
earlier semiclassical approach, has hereby been overcome.Comment: LaTeX (RevTeX), 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted for Physical Review
Letters; final version (v2) for publication with minor editorial change
Multiphoton Exchange Processes in Ultraperipheral Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions
The very strong electromagnetic fields present in ultraperipheral
relativistic heavy ion collisions lead to important higher order effects of the
electromagnetic interaction. These multiphoton exchange processes are studied
using perturbation theory and the sudden or Glauber approximation. In many
important cases, the multi-photon amplitudes factorize into independent
single-photon amplitudes. These amplitudes have a common impact parameter
vector, which induces correlations between the amplitudes. Impact-parameter
dependent equivalent-photon spectra for simultaneous excitation are calculated,
as well as, impact-parameter dependent gammagamma-luminosities. Excitations,
like the multiphonon giant dipole resonances, vector meson production and
multiple e+e- pair production can be treated analytically in a bosonic model,
analogous to the emission of soft photons in QED.Comment: 28 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Nucl. Phys.
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