The Primakoff effect is the resonant conversion of a photon in a static electric or magnetic field (for example, in the field of a nucleus) into a massive neutral pseudoscalar particle (for example, a neutral pion , eta-meson , axion ). It is named for Henry Primakov (1914-1983). Particles that can be born due to the Primakov effect can decay into two photons and convert to a photon in an electromagnetic field (the inverse Primakov effect ); in fact, the direct and inverse Primakov effects are described by a vertex in the Feynman diagram connecting the pseudoscalar with two photons.
The Primakov effect was used to measure the lifetime of neutral pseudoscalar mesons [1] .
If a hypothetical axion exists, then the Primakov effect leads to the appearance of optical properties ( birefringence , dispersion ) in a vacuum in a magnetic or electric field due to the conversion of a photon into a virtual axion and vice versa [2] . The Primakov effect (direct and / or reverse) is based on many axion search experiments, for example, CAST ( CERN Axion Solar Telescope ), IAXO ( the International Axion Observatory ) [3] and Tokyo Axion Helioscope [4 ] .
Notes
- ↑ The Decay Width of the Neutral π Meson (link not available) .
- ↑ Resonantly enhanced axion-photon regeneration P. Sikivie, DB Tanner, and Karl van Bibberc.
- ↑ The International Axion Observatory (IAXO)
- ↑ Tokyo Axion Helioscope