The Euler-Heisenberg Lagrangian (EHL) refers to non-linear corrections to Maxwell’s equations due to the interaction of electromagnetic fields with vacuum fluctuations of a charged field. One of the most exciting predictions of this formalism is the spontaneous production of particle pairs of opposite charges in the presence of an intense electric field, which is commonly known as Schwinger pair production. In this talk, I will describe the nature of EHL corrections and how we can arrive at functional approximations of these corrections using a limited amount of perturbative data. I will also describe how these techniques can be used to predict the rate of Schwinger pair production.

P.S. - The talk requires little to no knowledge of QFT, so please do consider coming even if you haven’t taken any advanced courses on the subject!