The Discovery Potential of Laser Polarization Experiments

Currently, a number of experiments are searching for vacuum magnetic birefringence and dichroism, i.e. for dispersive and absorptive features in the propagation of polarized light along a transverse magnetic field in vacuum. In this note we calculate the Standard Model contributions to these signatures, thereby illuminating the discovery potential of such experiments in the search for new physics. We discuss the three main sources for a Standard Model contribution to a dichroism signal: photon splitting, neutrino pair production and production of gravitons.