In recent years, high-accuracy data for pionic hydrogen and deuterium have become the primary source of information on the pion-nucleon scattering lengths. Matching the experimental precision requires, in particular, the study of isospin-breaking cor
rections both in pion-nucleon and pion-deuteron scattering. We review the mechanisms that lead to the cancellation of potentially enhanced virtual-photon corrections in the pion-deuteron system, and discuss the subtleties regarding the definition of the pion-nucleon scattering lengths in the presence of electromagnetic interactions by comparing to nucleon-nucleon scattering. Based on the pi^{+/-} p channels we find for the virtual-photon-subtracted scattering lengths in the isospin basis a^{1/2}=(170.5 +/- 2.0) x 10^{-3} mpi^{-1} and a^{3/2}=(-86.5 +/- 1.8) x 10^{-3} mpi^{-1}.
Starting from hyperbolic dispersion relations, we present a system of Roy--Steiner equations for pion Compton scattering that respects analyticity and unitarity requirements, gauge invariance, as well as crossing symmetry, and thus all symmetries of
the underlying quantum field theory. To suppress the dependence on the high-energy region, we also consider once- and twice-subtract
Starting from hyperbolic dispersion relations, we derive a system of Roy--Steiner equations for pion Compton scattering that respects analyticity, unitarity, gauge invariance, and crossing symmetry. It thus maintains all symmetries of the underlying
quantum field theory. To suppress the dependence of observables on high-energy input, we also consider once- and twice-subtract
