Vacuum birefringence QFT treatment

In summary, the conversation discusses the evidence for vacuum birefringence in the isolated neutron star RX J1856.5−3754, as presented in the paper "Evidence for vacuum birefringence from the first optical polarimetry measurement of the isolated neutron star RX J1856.5−3754". The person is looking for resources on the quantum field theory treatment of this topic and expresses skepticism about the findings in the paper. They also mention that they have found the details they needed through other sources.
  • #1
Mordred
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Evidence for vacuum birefringence from the rst optical polarimetry measurement of the isolated neutron star RX J1856.5−3754
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sour...LibV7MEMcK__s9nMQ&sig2=AtNYaP5WqBse-GHyQk-FCw

I'm looking for the QFT treatment of the above paper.
Anyone know of any good resources. I don't like the web search explanations I've been running across especially wiki in this case. The arxiv paper above doesn't have the details I'm looking for. Not sure how far to trust the findings in the above paper lol. Doesn't have the details I would consider trustworthy

The QFT articles I've been studying don't have details on this. PS don't worry about math complexity the more detail the better
 
Last edited:
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  • #2
update found the details I needed, though not through any papers directly related to the above.

Feel free to close this thread if preferred
 

What is vacuum birefringence in quantum field theory?

Vacuum birefringence in quantum field theory (QFT) is a phenomenon where the polarization of light is affected by the presence of a strong magnetic field in the vacuum. This occurs due to the interactions between the vacuum and virtual particles present in the field, which can change the refractive index of the vacuum and cause birefringence.

How is vacuum birefringence treated in QFT?

In QFT, vacuum birefringence is treated using perturbation theory, where the interactions between virtual particles and the vacuum are calculated as a series of increasingly complex diagrams. This allows for the calculation of the vacuum's refractive index and the prediction of how it will affect the polarization of light passing through it.

Why is vacuum birefringence important in QFT?

Vacuum birefringence is important in QFT because it provides insight into the fundamental nature of the vacuum. It also has implications for various physical phenomena, such as the behavior of light in strong magnetic fields and the stability of vacuum states.

What is the evidence for vacuum birefringence in QFT?

Currently, there is no direct experimental evidence for vacuum birefringence in QFT. However, it has been indirectly observed through the behavior of light in strong magnetic fields, as predicted by QFT calculations. Further research and experiments are needed to confirm its existence.

How does vacuum birefringence relate to other phenomena in QFT?

Vacuum birefringence is related to other phenomena in QFT, such as vacuum polarization and the Casimir effect. These phenomena all involve the interactions between the vacuum and virtual particles, and understanding one can provide insight into the others. Studying vacuum birefringence can also help improve our understanding of QFT and its applications in other areas of physics.

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