No light at the end of the tunnel

Abstract

The tunneling model for laser-induced processes implies the replacement of the propagating field of a laser by an oscillatory electric field. The view of the electric field as the primary influence in charged particle interactions fails for laser processes where the propagation property is important. Electric fields lack several quintessential laser-field properties that become dominant at high intensities and/or low frequencies. Quantum tunneling is not a concept generally suited to laser light. Conversely, laser criteria do not apply to electric-field phenomena like Sauter–Schwinger pair production in the vacuum, contrary to a widespread assumption.