  The Sauter-Schwinger effect predicts the creation of electron-positron pairs
out of the quantum vacuum via tunneling induced by a strong electric field.
Unfortunately, as the required field strength is extremely large, this
fundamental prediction of quantum field theory has not been verified
experimentally yet. Here, we study under which conditions and approximations
the interband tunneling in suitable semiconductors could be effectively
governed by the same (Dirac) Hamiltonian, especially for electric fields which
depend on space and time. This quantitative analogy would allow us to test some
of the predictions (such as the dynamically assisted Sauter-Schwinger effect)
in this area by means of these laboratory analogs.
