N-photon amplitudes in a plane-wave background

Abstract

We use the worldline formalism to derive master formulas for the one-loop N-photon amplitudes in a plane-wave background, for both scalar and spinor quantum electrodynamics. This generalises previous work by Ilderton and Torgrimsson for the vacuum polarisation case, although with some change in methodology since, instead of evaluating the path integral on the semi-classical trajectory, we use the special kinematics of the plane-wave background to uncover the crypto-gaussian character of this type of worldline path integral.

Keywords

• Worldline formalism
• Photon amplitudes
• Plane-wave background