  We optimize the pulse shape and polarization of time-dependent electric
fields to maximize the production of electron-positron pairs via strong field
quantum electrodynamics processes. The pulse is parametrized in Fourier space
by a B-spline polynomial basis, which results in a relatively low-dimensional
parameter space while still allowing for a large number of electric field
modes. The optimization is performed by using a parallel implementation of the
differential evolution, one of the most efficient metaheuristic algorithms. The
computational performance of the numerical method and the results on pair
production are compared with a local multistart optimization algorithm. These
techniques allow us to determine the pulse shape and field polarization that
maximize the number of produced pairs in computationally accessible regimes.
