Three-pulse photon-photon scattering

TL;DR

This paper calculates photon-photon scattering signals from three laser pulses, exploring experimental setups at the Shanghai Coherent Light Source, and finds that three-pulse collisions can improve detection despite increased difficulty.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed calculation of photon-photon scattering signals involving three laser pulses, highlighting potential experimental advantages over two-pulse setups.

Findings

Three-pulse collisions can enhance photon detection by separating signals from background.

Two scenarios are considered: three optical pulses and XFEL with two optical pulses.

Three-pulse setup offers advantages in signal clarity despite experimental challenges.

Abstract

We calculate signals of real photon-photon scattering in the collision of three laser pulses. Taking goal parameters from the Station of Extreme Light at the upcoming Shanghai Coherent Light Source, we consider two scenarios: i) the collision of three optical pulses; ii) the collision of an XFEL with two optical pulses. Although experimentally more difficult to perform, we find that colliding three laser pulses offers certain advantages in the detection of scattered photons by separating their frequency, momentum and polarisation from the background.