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arXiv · 1912.11698

Probing vacuum polarization effects with high-intensity lasers

Felix Karbstein
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Abstract

These notes provide a pedagogical introduction to the theoretical study of vacuum polarization effects in strong electromagnetic fields as provided by state-of-the-art high-intensity lasers. Quantum vacuum fluctuations give rise to effective couplings between electromagnetic fields, thereby supplementing Maxwell's linear theory of classical electrodynamics with nonlinearities. Resorting to a simplified laser pulse model allowing for explicit analytical insights, we demonstrate how to efficiently analyze all-optical signatures of these effective interactions in high-intensity laser experiments. Moreover, we highlight several key features relevant for the accurate planning and quantitative theoretical analysis of quantum vacuum nonlinearities in the collision of high-intensity laser pulses.

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Felix Karbstein. 2019-12-25. Probing vacuum polarization effects with high-intensity lasers. https://doi.org/10.3390/particles3010005

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