Abstract
The vacuum element can be used as a target in a photon-photon collider in order to study its properties. Some of these properties are predicted by Quantum Electrodynamics, while additional and unexpected properties might be linked to the existence of yet undiscovered axion-like particles (ALPs) interacting with two photons. In this low energy case (1–2 texteV), real photons from a polarized laser beam are scattered off virtual photons provided by a magnetic field. Information on the scattering processes can be obtained by measuring changes in the polarization state of the probe photons. In the PVLAS (Polarizzazione del Vuoto con LASer) experiment, running at the Legnaro Laboratory of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), near Padova, Italy, a linearly polarized laser beam is sent through a 5 textT strong magnetic field in vacuum, where it is reflected back and forth, by means of a Fabry-P’erot resonator, ∼ 50,000 times over a distance of 1 textm. A heterodyne ellipsometer allows the simultaneous detection of a birefringence and a rotation of the polarization plane. The sensitivity of the instrument allows the detection of rotation or of ellipticity angles of about 10-9 textrad, in an hour of data taking. The measurement technique employed by PVLAS will be illustrated, and recent results on polarization effects due to the magnetized vacuum will be presented in this chapter. The interpretation of these effects in terms of the production of ALPs will also be discussed. Finally, the realization of a photon-regeneration type experiment will be briefly illustrated.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Euler, H., Kochel, K.: Über die Streuung von Licht an Licht nach der Diracschen Theorie. Naturwissenschaften 23, 246 (1935); Euler, H.: Über die Streuung von Licht an Licht nach der Diracschen Theorie. Ann. Phys. 26, 39 (1936); Heisenberg, W., Euler, H.: Folgerungen aus der Diracschen Theorie des Positrons. Z. Phys. 98, 718 (1936); Heisenberg, W., Euler, H.: Consequences of Dirac’s theory of positrons. Z. Phys. 98, 714 (1936) [physics/0605038]; Weisskopf, V.S.: Über die Elektrodynamik des Vakuums auf Grund der Quantentheorie des Elektrons. Mat. Phys. Medd.-K. Dan. Vidensk. Selsk. 14, 6 (1936); Schwinger, J.S.: On gauge invariance and vacuum polarization. Phys. Rev. 82, 664 (1951); Adler, S.L.: Photon splitting and photon dispersion in a strong magnetic field. Annals Phys. 67, 599 (1971)
Sikivie, P.: Experimental tests of the invisible axion. Phys. Rev. Lett. 51, 1415 (1983), (E) ibid. 52, 695 (1984); Anselm, A.A.: Yad. Fiz 442, 1480 (1985); Gasperini, M.: Axion production by electromagnetic fields. Phys. Rev. Lett. 59, 396 (1987)
Iacopini, E., Zavattini, E.: Experimental method to detect the vacuum birefringence induced by a magnetic field. Phys. Lett. B 85, 151 (1979); Iacopini, E., Smith, B., Stefanini, G., Zavattini, E.: On a sensitive ellipsometer to detect the vacuum polarization induced by a magnetic field. Nuovo Cim. B 61, 21 (1981); Zavattini, E.: Magnetically induced optical activity of vacuum. Comments At. Mol. Phys. 33, 83 (1996)
Maiani, L., Petronzio, R., Zavattini, E.: Effects of nearly massless, spin zero particles on light propagation in a magnetic field. Phys. Lett. B 175, 359 (1986); Raffelt, G., Stodolsky, L.: Mixing of the photon with low mass particles. Phys. Rev. D 37, 1237 (1988)
Bakalov, D., et al.: Production and detection of dark matter candidates: The PVLAS experiment. Prepared for 7th Marcel Grossmann Meeting on General Relativity (MG 7), Stanford, California, 24-30 Jul 1994, urlhttp://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?irn=5070643; Bakalov, D., et al.: The measurement of vacuum polarization: The PVLAS experiment. Hyperfine Interactions 114, 103 (1998)
Bakalov, D., et al.: Experimental method to detect the magnetic birefringence of vacuum. Quantum Semiclass. Opt. 10, 239 (1998)
Pengo, R., et al.: Magnetic Birefringence of Vacuum: the PVLAS experiment. In: Zavattini, E., Bakalor, D., Rizzo, C Frontier Tests of QED and Physics of the Vacuum, p. 59. Heron Press, Sofia (1998)
Azzam, R.M.A., Bashara, N.M.: Ellipsometry and polarized light. North nobreak Holland Publishing Co. (1977)
Brandi, F., Polacco, E., Ruoso, G.: Stress-optic modulator: a novel device for high sensitivity linear birefringence measurements. Meas. Sci. Technol. 12, 1503 (2001)
Born, M., Wolf, E.: Principles of Optics. Pergamon Press, Oxford 691 (1980)
Bregant, M., Cantatore, G., Della Valle, F., Ruoso, G., Zavattini, G.: Frequency locking to a high-finesse Fabry-Pérot cavity of a frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser used as the optical phase modulator. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 73, 4142 (2002) [hep-ex/0202046]; Cantatore, G., et al.: Frequency locking of a Nd:YAG laser using the laser itself as the optical phase modulator. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 66, 2785 (1995); De Riva, A.M. et al.: Very high Q frequency-locked Fabry-Pérot cavity. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 67, 2680 (1996)
Zavattini, E., et al.: Signal processing in the PVLAS experiment. In: WSEAS Trans. Syst. 11, 1931 (2005) [hep-ex/0509029]; Milotti, E.: Sine-fit procedure for unevenly sampled, multiply clocked signals. J. Comp. Phys. 202, 134 (2005)
Zavattini, E., et al. (PVLAS Collaboration) Experimental observation of optical rotation generated in vacuum by a magnetic field. Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 110406 (2006) [hep-ex/0507107]
Iacopini, E., Stefanini, G., Zavattini, E.: Effects of a magnetic field on the optical properties of dielectric mirrors. Appl. Phys. A 32, 63 (1983)
Bialolenker, G., Polacco, E., Rizzo, C., Ruoso, G.: First evidence for the linear magnetic birefringence of the reflecting surface of interferential mirrors. Appl. Phys. B 68, 703 (1999)
Rizzo, C., Rizzo, A., Bishop, D.M.: The Cotton-Mouton effect in gases: experiment and theory. Int. Rev. Phys. Chem. 16, 81 (1997)
Carusotto, S., et al.: Measurement of the magnetic birefringence of noble gases. J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 1, 635 (1984); Cameron, R., et al.: First measurement of the magnetic birefringence of helium gas. Phys. Lett. A 157, 125 (1991); Cameron, R., et al.: Measurement of the magnetic birefringence of neon gas. J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 8, 520 (1991)
Bregant, M., et al.: Measurement of the Cotton-Mouton effect in krypton and xenon at 1064,nm with the PVLAS apparatus. Chem. Phys. Lett. 392, 276 (2004); Bregant, M., et al.: A precise measurement of the Cotton-Mouton effect in neon. Chem. Phys. Lett. 410, 288 (2005)
Adler, S.L., et al.: Photon splitting in a strong magnetic field. Phys. Rev. Lett. 25, 1061 (1970)
Maiani, L., Petronzio, R., Zavattini, E.: Effects of nearly massless, spin zero particles on light propagation in a magnetic field. Phys. Lett. B 175, 359 (1986)
Raffelt, G., Stodolsky, L.: Mixing of the photon with low mass particles. Phys. Rev. D 37, 1237 (1988)
Semertzidis, Y., et al.: Limits on the production of light scalar and pseudoscalar particles. Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 2988 (1990); Cameron, R., et al.: Search for nearly massless, weakly coupled particles by optical techniques. Phys. Rev. D 47, 3707 (1993)
Masso, E., Toldra, R.: On a light spinless particle coupled to photons. Phys. Rev. D 52, 1755 (1995) [hep-ph/9503293]
Ruoso, G., et al.: Search for photon regeneration in a magnetic field. Z. Phys. C 56, 505 (1992)
Zavattini, G., et al.: On measuring birefringences and dichroisms using Fabry-Pérot cavities. Appl. Phys. B 83, 571 (2006)
Van Bibber, K., Dagdeviren, N.R., Koonin, S.E., Kerman, A., Nelson, H.N.: An experiment to produce and detect light pseudoscalars. Phys. Rev. Lett. 59, 759 (1987)
Miller, A.J., et al.: Demonstration of a low-noise near-infrared photon counter with multiphoton discrimination. Appl. Phys. Lett. 83, 791 (2003)
Zavattini E., et al. (PVLAS Collaboration): New PVLAS results and limits on magnetically induced optical rotation and ellipticity in vacuum, arXiv:0706.3419 [hep-ex]
Robilliard C., et al. (BMV Collaboration): No light shining through a wall, arXiv:0707.1296 [hep-ex]
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Cantatore, G. (2008). Recent Results from the PVLAS Experiment on the Magnetized Vacuum. In: Kuster, M., Raffelt, G., Beltrán, B. (eds) Axions. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 741. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-73518-2_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-73518-2_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-73517-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-73518-2
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)