Dispersion properties, nonlinear waves and birefringence in classical nonlinear electrodynamics

Abstract

Using the very basic physics principles, we have studied the implications of quantum corrections to classical electrodynamics and the propagation of electromagnetic waves and pulses. The initial nonlinear wave equation for the electromagnetic vector potential is solved perturbatively about the known exact plane wave solution in both the case of a polarized vacuum without external field, as well as when a constant magnetic field is applied. A nonlinear wave equation with nonzero convective part for the (relatively) slowly varying amplitude of the first-order perturbation has been derived. This equation governs the propagation of electromagnetic waves with a reduced speed of light, where the reduction is roughly proportional to the intensity of the initial pumping plane wave. A system of coupled nonlinear wave equations for the two slowly varying amplitudes of the first-order perturbation, which describe the two polarization states, has been obtained for the case of constant magnetic field background. Further, the slowly varying wave amplitude behavior is shown to be similar to that of a cnoidal wave, known to describe surface gravity waves in shallow water. It has been demonstrated that the two wave modes describing the two polarization states are independent, and they propagate at different wave frequencies. This effect is usually called nonlinear birefringence.

Advances in QED with intense background fields

“…Recent progress in x-ray and high-intensity laser technology as well as x-ray high-definition polarimetry [555,556] have substantiated the perspectives of detecting vacuum birefringence in laser pulse collisions [391,536,525,549,557,558,559,560,561] following the proposal of [562,563,538]. Brilliant x-ray pulses delivered by an XFEL look particularly promising as probes of vacuum birefringence because the birefringence signal scales with a positive power of the probe frequency and linearly with the number of probe photons.…”

Advances in QED with intense background fields

“…Recent progress in x-ray and high-intensity laser technology as well as x-ray high-definition polarimetry [567,568] have substantiated the perspectives of detecting vacuum birefringence in laser pulse collisions [401,536,547,560,[569][570][571][572][573] following the proposal of [549,574,575]. Brilliant x-ray pulses delivered by an XFEL look particularly promising as probes of vacuum birefringence because the birefringence signal scales with a positive power of the probe frequency and linearly with the number of probe photons.…”

Vacuum Birefringence at the Gamma Factory

“…See refs. [37–56] for proposals aiming at probing the effect with optical, X‐ray, synchrotron, or gamma radiation and high‐intensity lasers as pump. For proposals to measure vacuum birefringence induced by a magnetic field with high‐energy photons, cf.…”