%0 Journal Article
%A Ahmadiniaz, N.
%A Bähtz, C.
%A Benediktovitch, A.
%A Bömer, C.
%A Bocklage, L.
%A Cowan, T. E.
%A Edwards, J.
%A Evans, S.
%A Viñas, S. Franchino
%A Gies, H.
%A Göde, S.
%A Görs, J.
%A Grenzer, J.
%A Hernandez Acosta, U.
%A Heinzl, T.
%A Hilz, P.
%A Hippler, W.
%A Huang, L. G.
%A Humphries, O.
%A Karbstein, Felix
%A Khademi, P.
%A King, B.
%A Kluge, T.
%A Kohlfürst, C.
%A Krebs, D.
%A Laso-García, A.
%A Lötzsch, R.
%A Macleod, A. J.
%A Marx-Glowna, B.
%A Mosman, E. A.
%A Nakatsutsumi, M.
%A Paulus, G. G.
%A Rahul, S. V.
%A Randolph, L.
%A Röhlsberger, R.
%A Rohringer, N.
%A Sävert, A.
%A Sadashivaiah, S.
%A Sauerbrey, R.
%A Schlenvoigt, H.-P.
%A Schmidt, S. M.
%A Schramm, U.
%A Schützhold, R.
%A Schwinkendorf, J.-P.
%A Seipt, D.
%A Šmíd, M.
%A Stöhlker, T.
%A Toncian, T.
%A Valialshchikov, M.
%A Wipf, A.
%A Zastrau, U.
%A Zepf, M.
%T Towards a vacuum birefringence experiment at the Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields (Letter of Intent of the BIREF@HIBEF Collaboration)
%J High power laser science and engineering
%V 13
%N arXiv:2405.18063
%@ 2095-4719
%C Cambridge
%I Cambridge Univ. Press
%M PUBDB-2025-00639
%M arXiv:2405.18063
%M arXiv:2405.18063
%P e7
%D 2025
%Z 31 pages, 21 figures
%X 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. This offers an excellent opportunity for a precision test of nonlinear quantum electrodynamics in an uncharted parameter regime. Recently, the operation of the high-intensity Relativistic Laser at the X-ray Free Electron Laser provided by the Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields has been inaugurated at the High Energy Density scientific instrument of the European X-ray Free Electron Laser. We make the case that this worldwide unique combination of an X-ray free-electron laser and an ultra-intense near-infrared laser together with recent advances in high-precision X-ray polarimetry, refinements of prospective discovery scenarios and progress in their accurate theoretical modelling have set the stage for performing an actual discovery experiment of quantum vacuum nonlinearity.
%K birefringence: vacuum (INSPIRE)
%K electromagnetic field: high (INSPIRE)
%K quantum electrodynamics: nonlinear (INSPIRE)
%K polarization: monitoring (INSPIRE)
%K laser: infrared (INSPIRE)
%K free electron laser: X-ray (INSPIRE)
%K optics (INSPIRE)
%K precision measurement (INSPIRE)
%K experimental methods (INSPIRE)
%K light-by-light scattering (autogen)
%K vacuum birefringence (autogen)
%K vacuum polarization (autogen)
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%R 10.1017/hpl.2024.70
%U https://bib-pubdb1.desy.de/record/623178