R J S Lee and D S F Crothers 2001 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 34 L687 doi:10.1088/0953-4075/34/21/103
R J S Lee and D S F Crothers
Show affiliationsIn `Charge transfer from the negative-energy continuum: alternative mechanism for pair production in relativistic atomic collisions', Eichler (1995 Phys. Rev. Lett. 75 3653) proposes an alternative mechanism for capture by pair production, and from it derives an analytic expression for the total cross section with a surprisingly strong energy dependence. We show that, in fact, there is no alternative mechanism; rather the above mechanism may be more transparently viewed as an ionization-like transition in one centre with inclusion of continuum distortion by the second centre. We further show that to centre the initial and final states on the target and projectile leads to confusion in the momentum transfer vectors, and hence, respectively that the alleged high-energy behaviour is erroneous.
Issue 21 (14 November 2001)
Received 15 August 2001
Published 30 October 2001
R J S Lee and D S F Crothers 2001 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 34 L687
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