Report on progress in physics: observation of the Breit–Wheeler process and vacuum birefringence in heavy-ion collisions

Abstract

Abstract This report reviews the effort over several decades to observe the linear Breit–Wheeler process ( γ γ → e + e − ) and vacuum birefringence (VB) in high-energy particle and heavy-ion collider experiment. This report, motivated by the STAR collaboration’s recent observations, attempts to summarize the key issues related to the interpretation of polarized γ γ → l + l − measurements in high-energy experiments. To that end, we start by reviewing the historical context and essential theoretical developments, before focusing on the decades of progress made in high-energy collider experiments. Special attention is given to the evolution in experimental approaches in response to various challenges, to the demanding detector capabilities required to unambiguously identify the linear Breit–Wheeler process, and to the connections with VB. We close the report with a discussion, followed by a look at near-future opportunities for utilizing these discoveries and for testing quantum electrodynamics in previously unexplored regimes.