Coulomb Effects on Electromagnetic Pair Production in Ultrarelativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions
arXiv:nucl-th/9806031 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.59.1223
Abstract
We discuss the implications of the eikonal amplitude on the pair production probability in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion transits. In this context the Weizsäcker-Williams method is shown to be exact in the ultrarelativistic limit, irrespective of the produced particles' mass. A new equivalent single-photon distribution is derived which correctly accounts for the Coulomb distortions. As an immediate application, consequences for unitarity violation in photo-dissociation processes in peripheral heavy-ion encounters are discussed.
13 pages, 4 .eps figures