The production of electron-positron pairs by a photon propagating in a thermal bath in both zero and strong (B > 4.41 × 10 13 G) magnetic fields has been considered. The mean free path has been calculated for the high-energy photon propagating through a thermodynamically equilibrium photon gas along the magnetic field lines so that the γ → e ~-e ~+ decay is kinematically forbidden. It has been shown that the strong magnetic field suppresses the probability of the γγ → e ~-e ~+ process. The analyzed process can be useful for analysis of possible mechanisms of the generation of the e -e + plasma in the regions of the polar caps of magnetars.
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