We discuss the implications of the eikonal amplitude on the pair production probability in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion transits. In this context the Weizsacker-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.
تحميل البحث