QCD Corrections to QED Vacuum Polarization

Abstract

We compute QCD corrections to QED calculations for vacuum polarization in background magnetic fields. Formally, the diagram for virtual $e\bar{e}$ loops is identical to the one for virtual $q\bar{q}$ loops. However due to confinement, or to the growth of $\alpha_s$ as $p^2$ decreases, a direct calculation of the diagram is not allowed. At large $p^2$ we consider the virtual $q\bar{q}$ diagram, in the intermediate region we discuss the role of the contribution of quark condensates $\left< q\bar{q}\right>$ and at the low-energy limit we consider the $\pi^0$, as well as charged pion $\pi^+\pi^-$ loops. Although these effects seem to be out of the measurement accuracy of photon-photon laboratory experiments they may be relevant for $\gamma$-ray burst propagation. In particular, for emissions from the center of the galaxy (8.5 kpc), we show that the mixing between the neutral pseudo-scalar pion $\pi_0$ and photons renders a deviation from the power-law spectrum in the $TeV$ range. As for scalar quark condensates $\left< q\bar{q} right>$ and virtual $q\bar{q}$ loops are relevant only for very high radiation density $\sim 300 MeV/fm^3$ and very strong magnetic fields of order $\sim 10^{14} T$.