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Nonlinear optical analogies in quantum electrodynamics

D. H. Delphenich

hep-tharXiv:hep-th/0610088

Abstract

Some of the basic notions of nonlinear optics are summarized and then applied to the case of the Dirac vacuum, as described by the Heisenberg-Euler effective one-loop Lagrangian. The theoretical and experimental basis for the appearance of nonlinear optical phenomena, such as the Kerr effect, Cotton-Mouton effect, and four-wave mixing are discussed. Further effects due to more exotic assumptions on the structure of spacetime, such as gravitational curvature and the topology of the Casimir vacuum are also presented.

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