Search for axion resonances in vacuum birefringence with three-beam collisions

Abstract: We consider birefringent (i.e., polarization changing) scattering of x-ray photons at the superposition of two optical laser beams of ultra-high intensity and study the resonant contributions of axions or axion-like particles, which could also be short-lived. Applying the specifications of the Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields (HIBEF), we find that this set-up can be more sensitive than previous light-by-light scattering (birefringence) or light-shining-through-wall experiments in a certain domain of parameter space. By changing the pump and probe laser orientations and frequencies, one can even scan different axion masses.