Analytical calculation of Coulomb corrections to $e^+e^-$ pair production at intermediate photon energies

Abstract

First correction to the high-energy asymptotics of the total $e^+e^-$ photoproduction cross section in the electric field of a heavy atom is obtained with the exact account of this field. The consideration is based on the use of the quasiclassical electron Green function in an external electric field. The influence of screening on the Coulomb corrections is examined in the leading approximation. It turns out that the high-energy asymptotics of the corresponding correction is independent of the photon energy. The detailed comparison of our results with experimental data is performed. This comparison has justified the analytical result and allowed us to elaborate a simple ansatz for the next-to-leading correction. Using this ansatz, good agreement with the experimental data is obtained for photon energies above a few $MeV$. In the region where both produced particles are relativistic, the corrections to the high-energy asymptotics of the electron (positron) spectrum are obtained. In addition, analogous corrections to the bremsstrahlung spectrum are derived starting from the corresponding results for pair production.