Nonlinear phase shift from photon-photon scattering in vacuum
arXiv:physics/0703215 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.150404
Abstract
We show that QED nonlinear effects imply a phase correction to the linear evolution of electromagnetic waves in vacuum. We provide explicit solutions of the modified Maxwell's equations for the propagation of a superposition of two plane waves, and calculate analytically and numerically the corresponding phase shift. This provides a new framework for the search of all-optical signatures of photon-photon scattering in vacuum. In particular, we propose an experiment for measuring the phase shift in projected high-power laser facilities.
4 pages, 1 figure. Some references were added, and the comparison with AC Kerr effect has been improved