Heisenberg–Euler effective Lagrangian
E811631
The Heisenberg–Euler effective Lagrangian is a quantum electrodynamics result that captures nonlinear corrections to classical electromagnetism arising from virtual electron–positron pair effects in strong electromagnetic fields.
Statements (45)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
effective Lagrangian
ⓘ
nonlinear electrodynamics theory ⓘ result in quantum electrodynamics ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs | Euler–Heisenberg Lagrangian NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| appliesTo | strong electromagnetic fields ⓘ |
| approach | integrating out the electron field ⓘ |
| assumes | constant or slowly varying background electromagnetic fields ⓘ |
| capturesEffectOf | virtual electron–positron pairs ⓘ |
| dependsOn |
Lorentz invariants F and G of the electromagnetic field
ⓘ
electromagnetic field invariants ⓘ |
| derivedBy |
Hans Euler
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Werner Heisenberg NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| describes |
light–light scattering in vacuum
ⓘ
nonlinear corrections to classical electromagnetism ⓘ photon–photon interactions mediated by virtual electron–positron pairs ⓘ vacuum polarization effects ⓘ |
| energyScale | set by the electron mass ⓘ |
| field | quantum electrodynamics NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| framework | one‑loop quantum electrodynamics ⓘ |
| generalizedBy | Schwinger’s proper‑time formalism NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| givesRiseTo | nonlinear corrections to Maxwell equations ⓘ |
| historicalContext | early nonperturbative treatment of QED in external fields ⓘ |
| includes | terms quartic in the electromagnetic field strength ⓘ |
| inspired | later developments in nonlinear electrodynamics ⓘ |
| involves | one‑loop determinant of the Dirac operator in an external field ⓘ |
| isLowEnergyLimitOf | full quantum electrodynamics effective action ⓘ |
| mathematicalForm |
nonlinear function of F_{\
ⓘ
nonlinear function of F_{\mu\nu}F^{\mu\nu} and F_{\mu\nu}\tilde F^{\mu\nu} ⓘ |
| modifies | Maxwell Lagrangian NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| nonlinearityBecomesSignificantNear | critical QED field strength ⓘ |
| orderInExpansion | leading low‑energy effective action of QED ⓘ |
| perturbativeOrder | order \alpha^2 in the low‑energy photon effective interaction ⓘ |
| predicts |
nonlinear wave–wave interactions of light in vacuum
ⓘ
vacuum birefringence ⓘ vacuum dichroism in external fields ⓘ |
| provides | effective description of QED vacuum as a nonlinear optical medium ⓘ |
| reducesTo | classical Maxwell Lagrangian in the weak‑field limit ⓘ |
| relatedTo | vacuum instability in supercritical electric fields ⓘ |
| usedIn |
astrophysical modeling of magnetars
ⓘ
strong‑field QED ⓘ theory of high‑intensity laser–matter interactions ⓘ |
| usedToAnalyze | modifications of light propagation in external magnetic fields ⓘ |
| usedToCompute | photon–photon scattering cross sections at low energy ⓘ |
| validFor | photon energies much smaller than the electron mass ⓘ |
| yearProposed | 1936 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.