Probing for new physics and detecting non-linear vacuum QED effects using gravitational wave interferometer antennas

• Published in: The European physical journal. C, Particles and fields Vol. 62; no. 3; pp. 459 - 466
• Main Authors: Zavattini, Guido, Calloni, Encrico
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.08.2009; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antennas; Astronomy; Astrophysics and Cosmology; Beams (radiation); Dipoles; Electrodynamics; Elementary Particles; Ellipticity; Exact sciences and technology; Gravitational effects; Gravitational waves; Hadrons; Heavy Ions; Interferometers; Light scattering; Linear polarization; Low energy; Measurement Science and Instrumentation; Nonlinearity; Nuclear Energy; Nuclear Physics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Quantum electrodynamics; Quantum Field Theories; Quantum Field Theory; Refractivity; Regular Article - Experimental Physics; Sensitivity; String Theory; The physics of elementary particles and fields; Unity; 12.20.Fv; 42.50.Xa; 07.60.Ly; Dipoles; Light scattering; Refractive index; Gravitational waves; Polarized light; Gravitational antenna; Ellipticity; Light propagation; Axions; Quantum electrodynamics; Elementary particles; Linear polarization; Magnetic fields; Corrections; Mathematical physics
• ISSN: 1434-6044; 1434-6052
• DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-009-1079-y

Low energy non-linear QED effects in vacuum have been predicted since 1936 and have been subject of research for many decades. Two main schemes have been proposed for such a ‘first’ detection: measurements of ellipticity acquired by a linearly polarized beam of light passing through a magnetic field and direct light–light scattering. The study of the propagation of light through an external field can also be used to probe for new physics such as the existence of axion-like particles and millicharged particles. Their existence in nature would cause the index of refraction of vacuum to be different from unity in the presence of an external field and dependent of the polarization direction of the propagating light. The major achievement of reaching the project sensitivities in gravitational wave interferometers such as LIGO and VIRGO has opened the possibility of using such instruments for the detection of QED corrections in electrodynamics and for probing new physics at very low energies. We show that it is possible to distinguish between various scenarios of new physics in the hypothetical case of detecting unexpected values. Considering the design sensitivity in the strain of the near future VIRGO+ interferometer leads to a variable dipole magnet configuration such that B 2 D ≥13000 T 2  m  for a ‘first’ vacuum non-linear QED detection.