Abstract

The quantum electrodynamical process of vacuum pair production in the presence of a focused laser field is investigated. A coherent states picture of the electromagnetic field in the focal region is developed which facilitates its inclusion into perturbative S-matrix quantum electrodynamics. The lowest order differential transition rate with respect to the direction of the newly created positron is presented for a number of scattering geometries. It is found that with current technological trends such an event should be detectable in the not too distant future.