Laser photon merging in proton-laser collisions

TL;DR

This paper investigates quantum electrodynamical vacuum polarization effects in high-energy proton and strong laser field collisions, proposing experimental setups to detect photon merging and polarization effects.

Contribution

It provides exact calculations of photon merging probabilities in proton-laser collisions, including asymptotic behaviors for various experimental conditions.

Findings

Photon merging probability calculated with laser field exactly included

Polarization and angular distribution measurements can detect vacuum polarization effects

Feasible experimental setup using strong optical lasers proposed

Abstract

The quantum electrodynamical vacuum polarization effects arising in the collision of a high-energy proton beam and a strong, linearly polarized laser field are investigated. The probability that laser photons merge into one photon by interacting with the proton`s electromagnetic field is calculated taking into account the laser field exactly. Asymptotics of the probability are then derived according to different experimental setups suitable for detecting perturbative and nonperturbative vacuum polarization effects. The experimentally most feasible setup involves the use of a strong optical laser field. It is shown that in this case measurements of the polarization of the outgoing photon and and of its angular distribution provide promising tools to detect these effects for the first time.