Photon polarization effects in polarized electron–positron pair production in a strong laser field

Dai Ya-Nan; Shen Bai-Fei; Li Jian-Xing; Shaisultanov Rashid; Hatsagortsyan Karen Z.; Keitel Christoph H.; Chen Yue-Yue

doi:10.1063/5.0063633

Volume 7 Issue 1

Jan. 2022

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Dai Ya-Nan, Shen Bai-Fei, Li Jian-Xing, Shaisultanov Rashid, Hatsagortsyan Karen Z., Keitel Christoph H., Chen Yue-Yue. Photon polarization effects in polarized electron–positron pair production in a strong laser field[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2022, 7(1): 014401. doi: 10.1063/5.0063633

Citation:

Dai Ya-Nan, Shen Bai-Fei, Li Jian-Xing, Shaisultanov Rashid, Hatsagortsyan Karen Z., Keitel Christoph H., Chen Yue-Yue. Photon polarization effects in polarized electron–positron pair production in a strong laser field[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2022, 7(1): 014401. doi: 10.1063/5.0063633

Citation:

Dai Ya-Nan, Shen Bai-Fei, Li Jian-Xing, Shaisultanov Rashid, Hatsagortsyan Karen Z., Keitel Christoph H., Chen Yue-Yue. Photon polarization effects in polarized electron–positron pair production in a strong laser field[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2022, 7(1): 014401. doi: 10.1063/5.0063633

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Photon polarization effects in polarized electron–positron pair production in a strong laser field

doi: 10.1063/5.0063633

1.
Department of Physics, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
2.
State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics and CAS Center for Excellence in Ultra-intense Laser Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 201800, China
3.
School of Physics, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
4.
Max-Planck-Institut fur Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
5.
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany

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Corresponding author: a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: yueyuechen@shnu.edu.cn
Received Date: 2021-07-16
Accepted Date: 2021-10-08

Available Online: 2022-01-01

Publish Date: 2022-01-01

Abstract

Abstract

Deep understanding of the impact of photon polarization on pair production is essential for the efficient generation of laser-driven polarized positron beams and demands a complete description of polarization effects in strong-field QED processes. Employing fully polarization-resolved Monte Carlo simulations, we investigate correlated photon and electron (positron) polarization effects in the multiphoton Breit–Wheeler pair production process during the interaction of an ultrarelativistic electron beam with a counterpropagating elliptically polarized laser pulse. We show that the polarization of e⁻e⁺ pairs is degraded by 35% when the polarization of the intermediate photon is resolved, accompanied by an ∼13% decrease in the pair yield. Moreover, in this case, the polarization direction of energetic positrons at small deflection angles can even be reversed when high-energy photons with polarization parallel to the laser electric field are involved.

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