Interferometry of light propagation in pulsed fields

We investigate the use of ground-based gravitational-wave interferometers for studies of the strong-field domain of QED. Interferometric measurements of phase velocity shifts induced by quantum fluctuations in magnetic fields can become a sensitive probe for nonlinear self-interactions among macroscopic electromagnetic fields. We identify pulsed magnets as a suitable strong-field source, since their pulse frequency can be matched perfectly with the domain of highest sensitivity of gravitational-wave interferometers. If these interferometers reach their future sensitivity goals, not only strong-field QED phenomena can be discovered but also further parameter space of hypothetical hidden-sector particles will be accessible. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2009