STIMULATED VACUUM PAIR PRODUCTION IN A FOCUSED LASER FIELD

The quantum electrodynamical process of vacuum pair production in the presence of a focused laser field is investigated. A coherent states p icture of the electromagnetic field in the focal region is developed w hich facilitates its inclusion into perturbative S-matrix quantum elec trodynamics. The lowest order differential transition rate with respec t to the direction of the newly created positron is presented for a nu mber of scattering geometries. It is found that with current technolog ical trends such an event should be detectable in the not too distant future.