Influence of Strongly Magnetized Plasma on Photon Splitting

The photon splitting γ → γγ in a strongly magnetized medium of arbitrary temperature and chemical potential is considered. In comparison with the case of a pure magnetic field, a new photon splitting channel is shown to be possible below the electron-positron pair production threshold. The partial splitting amplitudes and probabilities are calculated by taking into account the photon dispersion in a strong magnetic field and a charge-symmetric plasma. An enhancement of the photon splitting probability compared to the case of a magnetic field without plasma has been found to be possible under certain conditions