Photon splitting and photon-plasmon interaction in a dense medium

TL;DR

This paper investigates photon interactions in dense plasmas, revealing that transverse photons can decay into two plasmons due to a longitudinal component in the polarization tensor, expanding understanding of photon behavior in such media.

Contribution

It introduces the calculation of the three-photon vertex in dense degenerate plasma and uncovers the longitudinal component enabling transverse-longitudinal mode interactions.

Findings

Photon polarization tensor has a longitudinal component.

Transverse photon decay into two plasmons is kinematically allowed.

Interaction between transverse and longitudinal modes occurs in the medium.

Abstract

Three-photon vertex in a dense degenerated plasma is calculated. It is discovered the polarization tensor has the longitudinal part which makes possible an interaction between transverse and longitudinal modes in the medium. Using dispersion relations it is shown that the only kinematically permitted type of the photon splitting is the decay of the transverse photon to two plasmons.