Controlling Schwinger tunneling via engineering of virtual particle phases in vacuum

An investigation into Schwinger pair production is presented, demonstrating that vacuum tunneling processes can be effectively controlled through electromagnetic potential modulation while maintaining the strong fields in the interaction region. This challenges the conventional paradigm that attributes exclusive governance of Schwinger processes to localized field intensities. Through comprehensive analysis of particle number, momentum spectra, and spatial distribution of created pairs, we establish that the observed modulation effects originate from electromagnetic potential---induced modifications to the quantum phase structure of virtual particles. This phenomenon reveals a profound connection between Schwinger tunneling dynamics and the geometric phase properties of the quantum vacuum state---a vacuum analog to the Aharonov-Bohm effect in charged particle systems. This discovery not only advances our understanding of electromagnetic interactions in quantum vacuum but also opens up new experimental opportunities for realizing Schwinger tunneling processes with existing facilities.