Gravitational effects induced by high-power lasers

The gravitational field produced by a high-power laser is calculated according to the linearized Einstein field equation in weak field approximation. It is found that when a probe pulse propagates in the above gravitational field, the gravitational Faraday effect and defocusing phenomenon of the probe pulse are induced by the gradient of the energy density of the high-power laser pulse. The rotating angle of the polarization plane of the probe pulse and the variation of its light intensity are derived. The results are discussed and estimated under the conditions of our present experiment facility.