Schwinger Pair Production

In quantum electrodynamics, a sufficiently strong electric field can spontaneously create electron–positron pairs from the vacuum. The critical field E_S ≈ 1.3×10¹⁸ V/m splits virtual pairs before they can re-annihilate.

Field Strength E/E_S 0.30

Animation Speed 1.0×

Pair Rate (rel.)

—

Active Pairs

Field Regime

Subcritical

Γ ∝ (eE)² · exp(−π m²c³ / eEℏ) — Schwinger 1951