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What happens when light moves in electromagnetic field?

  1. May 20, 2012 #1
    we know light bends and loses energy when it travels in gravity..what abt influence on light when it travels in EM field..similarly can anyone trace out what happens in weak and strong force fields as welll.I guess its complex..
  2. jcsd
  3. May 20, 2012 #2
    There is a chance that two photons annihilate and create a particle-antiparticle pair for a very short time. These particle may be charged and therefore may react more strongly with the background electromagnetic field before they recombine. The net effect is a very small change of the polarization. See vacuum birefringence
