The density of electron-hole pairs produced in a graphene sample immersed in a homogeneous time-dependent electric field is evaluated. Because low energy charge carriers in graphene are described by relativistic quantum mechanics, the calculation is performed within the strong field quantum electrodynamics formalism, requiring a solution of the Dirac equation in momentum space. The equation is solved using a split-operator numerical scheme on parallel computers, allowing for the investigation of several field configurations. The strength of the method is illustrated by computing the electron momentum density generated from a realistic laser pulse model. We observe quantum interference patterns reminiscent of Landau–Zener–Stückelberg interferometry.
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Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 11, pp. 127–131, November, 2016.
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Fillion-Gourdeau, F., Blain, P., Gagnon, D. et al. Numerical Computation of Dynamical Schwinger-like Pair Production in Graphene. Russ Phys J 59, 1875–1880 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11182-017-0990-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11182-017-0990-1