Vacuum instability in Kaluza-Klein manifolds

Abstract

The purpose of this work in to analyze particle creation in spaces with extra dimensions. We consider, in particular, a massive scalar field propagating in a Kaluza-Klein manifold subject to a constant electric field. We compute the rate of particle creation from vacuum by using techniques rooted in the spectral zeta function formalism. The results we obtain show explicitly how the presence of the extra-dimensions and their specific geometric characteristics, influence the rate at which pairs of particles and anti-particles are generated.