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- Title
Nanophotonics for pair production.
- Authors
Di Giulio, Valerio; García de Abajo, F. Javier
- Abstract
The transformation of electromagnetic energy into matter represents a fascinating prediction of relativistic quantum electrodynamics that is paradigmatically exemplified by the creation of electron-positron pairs out of light. However, this phenomenon has a very low probability, so positron sources rely instead on beta decay, which demands elaborate monochromatization and trapping schemes to achieve high-quality beams. Here, we propose to use intense, strongly confined optical near fields supported by a nanostructured material in combination with high-energy photons to create electron-positron pairs. Specifically, we show that the interaction between near-threshold γ-rays and polaritons yields higher pair-production cross sections, largely exceeding those associated with free-space photons. Our work opens an unexplored avenue toward generating tunable pulsed positrons from nanoscale regions at the intersection between particle physics and nanophotonics. The authors propose electron-positron creation by scattering of gamma-rays and polaritons, enabling the synthesis of ultrafast, localized positron sources and introducing the possibility to exploit nanophotonics for particle physics.
- Subjects
PAIR production; PARTICLE physics; NANOPHOTONICS; ELECTROMAGNETIC waves; RELATIVISTIC electrodynamics; POSITRONS; POSITRONIUM
- Publication
Nature Communications, 2023, Vol 14, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2041-1723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41467-023-43701-5