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arXiv · 1104.0994

Probing vacuum birefringence by phase-contrast Fourier imaging under fields of high-intensity lasers

Kensuke Homma·Dieter Habs·Toshiki Tajima
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Abstract

In vacuum high-intensity lasers can cause photon-photon interaction via the process of virtual vacuum polarization which may be measured by the phase velocity shift of photons across intense fields. In the optical frequency domain, the photon-photon interaction is polarization-mediated described by the Euler-Heisenberg effective action. This theory predicts the vacuum birefringence or polarization dependence of the phase velocity shift arising from nonlinear properties in quantum electrodynamics (QED). We suggest a method to measure the vacuum birefringence under intense optical laser fields based on the absolute phase velocity shift by phase-contrast Fourier imaging. The method may serve for observing effects even beyond the QED vacuum polarization.

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Kensuke Homma, Dieter Habs, Toshiki Tajima. 2011-04-06. Probing vacuum birefringence by phase-contrast Fourier imaging under fields of high-intensity lasers. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-011-4568-2

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