Quantum non-linear effects in colliding light beams and interferometers

TL;DR

This paper investigates quantum electrodynamics corrections to colliding light beams, exploring their effects on energetic beams and interferometers, and predicts secondary waves generated during head-on collisions at specific angles.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of quantum vacuum interactions in colliding light beams and predicts secondary wave emissions at particular angles.

Findings

Quantum corrections affect electromagnetic fields in colliding beams.

Secondary waves are emitted at angles arccos(1/3) during head-on collisions.

Implications for high-energy light beams and gravitational wave detectors.

Abstract

Small corrections to the electromagnetic field in colliding light beams are evaluated taking into account the interaction of light with the quantum vacuum, as predicted by quantum electrodynamics. Possible implications for very energetic light beams and the radiation pressure in interferometers (e.g., gravitational waves detector) are considered. It is also shown that a head-on collision produces secondary waves along conical directions at angles $\arccos (1/3)$.