Resonant production of millicharged scalars in $k^2>0$ electromagnetic wave background

Abstract

We investigate the solution of the Klein-Gordon equation for a charged scalar particle in an electromagnetic plane wave background with $k^2>0$, which can be realized in a medium with a refractive index $n<1$. We reduce the equation of motion to the Mathieu equation, which has resonant solutions that grow exponentially for certain parameter ranges. Physically, this effect leads to anomalous losses for certain beams of electromagnetic fields in a given medium. We set the constraints on the coupling and mass of millicharged particles from the absence of such anomalous losses for optical laser and radio beams.

Comments: 14 pages, 11 figures