Summary
Multiple production of photons by fast elementary particles coupled strongly to the electromagnetic field is treated by semiclassical methods. In this approximation, the photons are treated in a precise quantum mechanical fashion, while the motion of the matter field is obtained by classical means but includes radiation reaction effects. As a specific example the magnetic monopole is discussed (and another possible domain of applicability is pointed out). A possible connection with several recent cosmic ray events is investigated. It is shown that conventional electrodynamic models (including antiparticle annihilation) produce too few photons and magnetic monopoles too many, to account for the observed multiplicities.
Riassunto
La produzione multipla di fotoni da parte di particelle elementari veloci fortemente accoppiate al campo elettromagnetico si tratta con metodi semiclassici. In questa approssimazione i fotoni sono trattati esattamente dal punto di vista della meccanica quantistica, mentre il moto del campo materiale si ottiene con mezzi classici ma comprende effetti di reazione radiativa. Come esempio specifico si discute il monopolo magnetico (e si indica un altro possibile campo d’applicazione). Si esamina la possibile connessione con alcuni recenti eventi di origine cosmica. Si dimostra che i modelli elettrodinamici convenzionali (compresa l’annichilazione delle antiparticelle) producono un numero insufficiente di fotoni ed eccessivo di monopoli magnetici per render ragione delle molteplicità osservate.
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This work was performed under the auspices of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission while the authors were at the University of California Radiation Laboratory, Berkeley, California, and appeared as UCRL-2747, October 8, 1954.
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Arnowitt, R., Deser, S. High-energy multiple photon production. Nuovo Cim 2, 707–718 (1955). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02725034
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02725034