Figure 3
A pictorial representation of the proposed modification to the ZVP mechanism to include QED effects. The original pseudo-capacitor, characterised by a displaced electron fluid (blue) and a consequent region of net positive space charge (red) is augmented by pair production at the peak intensity of the incident laser pulse (faded purple) on the negative “plate”. The positrons (yellow), not feeling a restoring force, propagate into the bulk plasma and leave the region of interest. In contrast, some of the pair-produced electrons (green), are subject to a restoring force which keeps a fraction of them within the region of interest, thus increasing the net charge in the region of the original negative “plate”.
