Article,
On Schwinger Pair Creation in Gravity and in Closed Superstring Theory
(January 2009)
Abstract
We investigate the Schwinger pair creation process in the context of
gravitational models with the back reaction of the electric field included in
the geometry. The background is also an exact solution of type II superstring
theory, where the electric field arises by Kaluza-Klein reduction. We obtain a
closed formula for the pair creation rate that incorporates the gravitational
back reaction. At weak fields it has the same structure as the general
Schwinger formula, albeit pairs are produced by a combination of Schwinger and
Unruh effect, the latter due to the presence of a Rindler horizon. In four
spacetime dimensions, the rate becomes constant at strong electric fields. For
states with mass of Kaluza-Klein origin, the rate has a power-like dependence
in the electric field, rather than the familiar (non-perturbative) exponential
dependence. We also reproduce the same formula from the string partition
function for winding string states. Finally, we comment on the generalization
to excited string states.
