Bereiche | Tage | Auswahl | Suche | Aktualisierungen | Downloads | Hilfe

MP: Fachverband Theoretische und Mathematische Grundlagen der Physik

MP 10: Strong Fields

MP 10.2: Vortrag

Donnerstag, 19. März 2026, 14:00–14:15, KH 02.013

Towards a vacuum birefringence experiment at the Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields — •Felix Karbstein — Helmholtz Institute Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, 07743 Jena, Germany — Theoretisch-Physikalisches Institut, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743 Jena, Germany

Quantum field theory predicts a nonlinear response of the vacuum to strong electromagnetic fields of macroscopic extent. This fundamental tenet has remained experimentally challenging and is yet to be tested in the laboratory. A particularly distinct signature of the resulting optical activity of the quantum vacuum is vacuum birefringence manifesting itself in a polarization-flipped signal component. This offers an excellent opportunity for a precision test of nonlinear quantum electrodynamics (QED) in an uncharted parameter regime. In this talk I will provide an update on the status of the dark-field approach devised to measure the leading (both polarization-flipped and unflipped) quantum vacuum signals in a dedicated experiment at the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (EuXFEL) within the Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields (HIBEF) User Consortium.

Keywords: strong fields