Regular Article

Non-linear Breit–Wheeler process with linearly polarized beams

¹ Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, JINR, Dubna 141980, Russia
² Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01314 Dresden, Germany
³ Institut für Theoretische Physik, TU Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany

^a e-mail: atitov@theor.jinr.ru

Received: 8 June 2020
Accepted: 18 September 2020
Published online: 1 November 2020

Abstract

We study the non-linear Breit–Wheeler process ${\vec{\gamma }}^{\text{'}}+\vec{L}\to e^{+}+e^{-}$ in the interaction of linearly polarized probe photons (${\vec{\gamma }}^{\text{'}}$) with a linearly polarized laser beam ($\vec{L}$). In particular, we consider the asymmetry of the total cross section and the azimuthal electron distributions when the polarizations of the photon and laser beams in the initial state are mutually perpendicular or parallel. Considering intense laser beams and the strong field asymptotic we explore essentially the multi-photon dynamics. The asymmetry exhibits some non-monotonic behavior depending on initial kinematic conditions; it depends sensitively on the laser pulse duration. Our results provide additional knowledge for studying non-linear multi-photon effects in quantum electrodynamics and may be used in planning experiments in upcoming laser facilities.