Is the photon paramagnetic?

Abstract

A photon exhibits a tiny anomalous magnetic moment ${\mu }_{\gamma }$ due to its interaction with an external constant magnetic field in vacuum through the virtual electron-positron background. It is paramagnetic (${\mu }_{\gamma }>0$) in the whole region of transparency, i.e. below the first threshold energy for pair creation and has a maximum near this threshold. The photon magnetic moment is different for eigenmodes polarized along and perpendicular to the magnetic field. Explicit expressions are given for ${\mu }_{\gamma }$ for the cases of photon energies smaller and closer to the first pair creation threshold. The region beyond the first threshold is briefly discussed.

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• Polarization operator approach to electron-positron pair production in combined laser and Coulomb fields
• Muon pair creation by two x-ray laser photons in the field of an atomic nucleus
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• Photon Magnetic Moment and Vacuum Magnetization in an Asymptotically Large Magnetic Field
• The photon magnetic moment problem revisited
• The role of photon polarization modes in the magnetization and instability of the vacuum in a supercritical field
• Remarks on propagating waves in non-linear vacuum electrodynamics
• The photon time delay in magnetized vacuum magnetosphere
• Photon Redshift in a Magnetic field
• Criticality and dominance of axion physics in highly magnetized vacuum