  Oscillations of photons into axion-like particles in a high-intensity laser
field are investigated. Nonlinear QED effects are considered through the low
energy behavior of the vacuum polarization tensor, which is derived from the
Euler-Heisenberg Lagrangian in the one-loop and weak field approximations. The
expressions obtained in this framework are applied to the configuration in
which the strong background field is a circularly polarized monochromatic plane
wave. The outcomes of this analysis reveal that, in the regime of low
energy-momentum transfer, the axion field induces a chiral-like birefringence
and dichroism in the vacuum which is not manifest in a pure QED context. The
corresponding ellipticity and angular rotation of the polarization plane are
also determined. We take advantage of such observables to impose exclusion
limits on the axion parameters. Our predictions cover axion masses for which a
setup based on dipole magnets provides less stringent constraints. Possible
experimental scenarios in which our results could be tested are also discussed.
