Wigner function and pair production in parallel electric and magnetic fields

Abstract: We derive analytical formulas for the equal-time Wigner function in an electromagnetic field of arbitrary strength. While the magnetic field is assumed to be constant, the electric field is assumed to be space-independent and oriented parallel to the magnetic field. The Wigner function is first decomposed in terms of the so-called Dirac-Heisenberg-Wigner (DHW) functions and then the transverse-momentum dependence is separated using a new set of basis functions which depend on the quantum number $n$ of the Landau levels. Equations for the coefficients are derived and then solved for the case of a constant electric field. The pair-production rate for each Landau level is calculated. In the case of finite temperature and chemical potential, the pair-production rate is suppressed by Pauli's exclusion principle.