# Pair creation of neutral particles in a vacuum by external electromagnetic fields in 2+1 dimensions published in J. Phys. G 25 (1999) 1793-1795. ©IOP publishing Ltd. 1999

## Abstract

Neutral fermions of spin $`\frac{1}{2}`$ with magnetic moment can interact with electromagnetic fields through nonminimal coupling. In 2+1 dimensions the electromagnetic field strength plays the same role to the magnetic moment as the vector potential to the electric charge. This duality enables one to obtain physical results for neutral particles from known ones for charged particles. We give the probability of neutral particle-antiparticle pair creation in the vacuum by non-uniform electromagnetic fields produced by constant uniform charge and current densities.

PACS number(s): 03.70.+k, 11.10.Kk, 11.15.Tk

Pair creation of charged particles in the vacuum by an external electric field was first studied by Schwinger several decades ago . Related problems have been discussed by many authors, for example, in Refs. \[2-6\]. Pure magnetic fields do not lead to pair creation. However, inclusion of a magnetic field changes the result for a pure electric field. This has been studied by several authors \[7-11\]. The probability of pair creation in the vacuum was also calculated in lower dimensions  and in more general dimensions . Similar subjects are now widely discussed in string and black hole theory.

In this paper we extend the subject to neutral particles of spin $`\frac{1}{2}`$. Neutral particles with magnetic moment can interact with electromagnetic fields through nonminimal coupling. The Aharonov-Casher effect  is a well known indication for this interaction, and has been observed in experiment . So we expect that neutral particle-antiparticle pairs may be created in the vacuum by external electromagnetic fields. In 2+1 dimensions this can be verified by explicit calculations. For certain electromagnetic fields the probability of pair creation can be calculated exactly. Indeed, the result can be obtained from that for charged particles by using the duality between charged and neutral particles, respectively in external vector potentials and electromagnetic fields. Unfortunately, the problem is rather complicated in 3+1 dimensions, and useful results are still not available.

Consider a neutral fermion of spin $`\frac{1}{2}`$ with mass $`m`$ and magnetic moment $`\mu _m`$, moving in an external electromagnetic field. The equation of motion for the fermion field $`\psi `$ is 

$$(i\gamma \mu _m\sigma F/2m)\psi =0,$$
(1)   
where $`\gamma =\gamma ^\mu _\mu `$, $`\sigma F=\sigma ^{\mu \nu }F_{\mu \nu }`$, $`F_{\mu \nu }`$ is the field strength of the external electromagnetic field, and

$$\sigma ^{\mu \nu }=\frac{i}{2}[\gamma ^\mu ,\gamma ^\nu ].$$
(2)   
In the following we work in 2+1 dimensions. The Dirac matrices $`\gamma ^\mu `$ satisfy the relation

$$\gamma ^\mu \gamma ^\nu =g^{\mu \nu }iϵ^{\mu \nu \lambda }\gamma _\lambda ,$$
(3)   
where $`g^{\mu \nu }=\mathrm{diag}(1,1,1)`$, $`ϵ^{\mu \nu \lambda }`$ is totally antisymmetric in its indices and $`ϵ^{012}=1`$. The minus sign in (3) corresponds to representations equivalent to the one

$$\gamma ^0=\sigma ^3,\gamma ^1=i\sigma ^1,\gamma ^2=i\sigma ^2,$$
$`(4a)`$   
and the plus sign corresponds to representations equivalent to the one

$$\gamma ^0=\sigma ^3,\gamma ^1=i\sigma ^1,\gamma ^2=i\sigma ^2,$$
$`(4b)`$   
which is inequivalent to (4a). The difference between the two cases would not affect physical results. So we will work with the first case \[with the minus sign in (3)\]. The relation (3) is of crucial importance for the following discussion. Note that in other space-time dimensions there is no similar relation. Using (3) we have $`\sigma ^{\mu \nu }=ϵ^{\mu \nu \lambda }\gamma _\lambda `$. We define

$$f^\mu =\frac{1}{2}ϵ^{\mu \alpha \beta }F_{\alpha \beta },$$
(5)   
and have

$$\sigma F/2=\gamma f.$$
(6)   
Then (1) becomes

$$[\gamma (i\mu _mf)m]\psi =0.$$
(7)   
Compared with the equation of a charged fermion with spin $`\frac{1}{2}`$ and charge $`q`$ moving in an external electromagnetic vector potential $`A_q^\mu `$

$$[\gamma (iqA_q)m_q]\psi _q=0$$
(8)   
where a subscript $`q`$ is used to indicate the charged particle, one easily realize that $`f^\mu `$ plays the same role to the neutral particle as $`A_q^\mu `$ to the charged one. This duality has been noticed in the study of the Aharonov-Casher effect . Consequently, constant uniform fields $`F_{\mu \nu }`$ have no physical effect on neutral particles. To create particle-antiparticle pairs in the vacuum, non-uniform fields are necessary. Because of the above duality, we call $`f^\mu `$ the dual vecter potential, and $`f_{\mu \nu }=_\mu f_\nu _\nu f_\mu `$ the dual field strength. The dual magnetic field is

$$b=f_{12}=_\lambda F^{\lambda 0}=𝐄,$$
$`(9a)`$   
and the dual electric field is

$$e_x=f_{01}=_\lambda F^{\lambda 2}=_tE_y+_xB,$$
$`(9b)`$   
$$e_y=f_{02}=_\lambda F^{\lambda 1}=_tE_x+_yB.$$
$`(9c)`$   
Using the Maxwell equation $`_\lambda F^{\lambda \mu }=J^\mu `$ where $`J^\mu `$ is the external source producing the field $`F_{\mu \nu }`$, we have

$$b=J^0\rho ,$$
$`(10a)`$   
$$e_x=J^2J_y,e_y=J^1J_x.$$
$`(10b)`$   
This means that the current $`(J_y,J_x)`$ plays the same role to the neutral particles as an electric field to the charged ones, and the charge density $`\rho `$ plays the same role as a magnetic field. We can now use the conclusions and results of  without further calculations. Consider an external electric charge density $`\rho `$ and an electric current density $`𝐉`$, both being constant and uniform. The field strength $`F_{\mu \nu }`$ produced by them is not uniform. If $`|𝐉|<|\rho |`$ there is no pair creation. When $`|𝐉|>|\rho |`$, we have the probability, per unit time and per unit area, of neutral particle-antiparticle pair creation in the vacuum

$$w=\frac{(|\mu _m|𝒥)^{\frac{3}{2}}}{4\pi ^2}\underset{n=1}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}\frac{1}{n^{\frac{3}{2}}}\mathrm{exp}\left(\frac{n\pi m^2}{|\mu _m|𝒥}\right),$$
(11)   
where

$$𝒥=\sqrt{𝐉^2\rho ^2}.$$
(12)   
$`w`$ is independent of the space-time position as both $`\rho `$ and $`𝐉`$ are constant and uniform. Also note that the result is Lorentz invariant.

In conclusion, neutral particle-antiparticle pairs can be created in the vacuum by external electromagnetic fields in 2+1 dimensions, if these particles have nonvanishing magnetic moment. For electromagnetic fields produced by constant uniform sources, the probability of pair creation in the vacuum can be obtained from similar results for charged particles. The crucial point is the duality between magnetic moment and electric charge. It is expected that similar conclusions can be achieved in 3+1 dimensions. Unfortunately, in 3+1 dimensions there is no relation similar to (3), and the duality used here does not exist. Consequently, the calculations in 3+1 dimensions involve considerable mathematical difficulties. We cannot work out an explicit nontrivial result even for a field configuration similar to that in 2+1 dimensions, i.e., a field configuration where $`B_x=B_y=E_z=0`$ and everything is independent of $`z`$. At present, we can only calculate the simplest case for a constant uniform electric field, but the result turns out to be trivial. For a constant uniform magnetic field, the calculations can also be carried out analytically, but the final result involves divergent integrals which we still do not know how to regularize. It seems that some other techniques should be developed to deal with the subject in 3+1 dimensions.

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.