Azimuthal Modulations in Photon–Induced Processes

Abstract

We review recent theoretical developments and experimental measurements of azimuthal modulations in photon-induced processes, covering both ultra-peripheral heavy-ion collisions (UPCs) and $e^+e^-$ colliders. The azimuthal asymmetries $\cos(n\phi)$ ($n=1,2,3,4$) serve as precision diagnostics that probe the linear polarization of coherent photons, final-state soft radiation effects, and quantum interference phenomena at the femtometer scale. In UPCs, we discuss dilepton production, diffractive dijet and vector meson production, where theoretical predictions show excellent agreement with STAR, ALICE, and CMS measurements. The unique double-slit interference effect in nucleus-nucleus collisions plays a crucial role in describing experimental observations. At $e^+e^-$ colliders, $\gamma\gamma\to\pi\pi$ azimuthal asymmetries enable the direct extraction of helicity amplitude phases, with important implications for hadronic light-by-light scattering and the muon anomalous magnetic moment. Azimuthal modulations establish a powerful tool for multi-dimensional nuclear imaging and precision QED/QCD tests.