Polarization of vacuum in a hydrogen-like relativistic atom: Hyperfine structure

An analysis is made of the contribution of the polarization of vacuum to the hyperfine splitting of the ground state of a hydrogen-like atom. An expression for the correction to the energy is obtained as an explicit function of the parameter Zα. The final expression derived in terms of generalized hypergeometric functions and their derivatives is a function of the particle mass ratio in orbit and in a vacuum loop, and is therefore valid for both ordinary and muonic atoms. Various asymptotic forms are also given.     

Exact two-loop vacuum polarization correction to the Lamb shift in hydrogenlike ions

We present a calculation scheme for the two-loop vacuum polarization correction of order to the Lamb shift of hydrogenlike high-Z atoms. The interaction with the external Coulomb field is taken into account to all orders in . By means of a modified potential approach the problem is reduced to the evaluation of effective one-loop vacuum polarization potentials. An expression for the energy shift is deduced within the framework of partial wave decomposition performing appropriate subtractions. Exact results for the two-loop vacuum polarization contribution to the Lamb shift of K- and L-shell electron states in hydrogenlike Lead and Uranium are presented. Received: 10 August 1997 / Revised: 31 October 1997 / Accepted: 18 November 1997     

Stochastic ionization of a relativistic hydrogenlike atom

The stochastic ionization of a relativistic hydrogenlike atom in a monochromatic field is investigated. Using Chirikov’s criterion for stochasticity, an analytical formula is obtained for the critical value of the external field for which stochastic ionization of a relativistic atom occurs. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 127–129 (March 1999)     

The influence of nuclear structure on the Lamb shift in hydrogenlike heavy atoms

We evaluate and list the various contributions to the Lamb shift in hydrogenlike heavy atoms which arise from parameters describing shape, size and structure of the nucleus. We compare these contributions with those obtained from quantum electrodynamics. It is found that in heavy nuclei, nuclear contributions depending on experimental parameters and nuclear models are of the same size as QED contributions of order a². Therefore, in these systems the theoretical predictions for binding energies are limited by the exact knowledge of the nuclear parameters. In addition, we tabulate all corrections contributing to the 1s_1/2 Lamb shift in hydrogenlike Pb and U. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Quantum electrodynamics in strong electric fields: the ground-state Lamb shift in hydrogenlike uranium

X-ray spectra following radiative recombination of free electrons with bare uranium ions (U92+) were measured at the electron cooler of the ESR storage ring. The most intense lines observed in the spectra can be attributed to the characteristic Lyman ground-state transitions and to the recombination of free electrons into the K shell of the ions. Our experiment was carried out by utilizing the deceleration technique which leads to a considerable reduction of the uncertainties associated with Doppler corrections. This, in combination with the 0 degree observation geometry, allowed us to determine the ground-state Lamb shift in hydrogenlike uranium (U91+) from the observed x-ray lines with an accuracy of 1%. The present result is about 3 times more precise than the most accurate value available up to now and provides the most stringent test of bound-state quantum electrodynamics for one-electron systems in the strong-field regime.     

Interaction theory: Relativistic hydrogen atom and the Lamb shift

The Dirac relativistic equation for the hydrogen atom as augmented by dual interaction terms is solved exactly and the eigenvalues for the bound states are determined. These areE _n =[1 + ²/ (n + s)²]^–1/2, withs ²=k ²– ²(1±)², where is a constant which is a measure of the strength of the dual interaction relative to the standard interaction ^µ A _µ . It is shown that the ratios of the experimental values for the Lamb shifts of various energy levels in hydrogen and singly ionized helium are correctly given by the theory. The origin of the anomalous magnetic moment and, in fact, the operator for the total magnetic moment is given.     

Proton-polarizability effect in the Lamb shift for the hydrogen atom

The proton-polarizability contribution to the Lamb shift for the ordinary and muonic hydrogen atoms is calculated on the basis of the isobar model and experimental data on structure functions for deep-inelastic lepton-nucleon scattering. The contributions of Born terms, vector mesons, and nucleon resonances are taken into account in constructing cross sections for the absorption of transversely and longitudinally polarized virtual photons, σ _T,L.     

Hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to the Lamb shift in muonic hydrogen

We report on the accuracy of the measurement of the total cross section of the process e⁺e^– ZH and of the Higgs boson mass that would be achieved in a linear collider operating at a centre-of-mass energy of 350 GeV, assuming an integrated luminosity of 500 fb^–1. For that we have exploited the recoil mass off the Z using its leptonic decays into electron and muon pairs. The Higgs mass is determined with 150 MeV accuracy, the recoil mass resolution is about 1.5 GeV and the cross section is obtained with a statistical error of 3%.     

Hydrogen-like atom in a superstrong magnetic field: Photon emission and relativistic energy level shift

Following our previous work, additional arguments are presented that in superstrong magnetic fields B ? (Zα)² B ₀, B ₀ = m ² c ³/e? ≈ 4.41 × 10¹³ G, the Dirac equation and the Schrödinger equation for an electron in the nucleus field following from it become spatially one-dimensional with the only z coordinate along the magnetic field, “Dirac” spinors become two-component, while the 2 × 2 matrices operate in the {0; 3} subspace. Based on the obtained solution of the Dirac equation and the known solution of the “onedimensional” Schrödinger equation by ordinary QED methods extrapolated to the {0; 3} subspace, the probability of photon emission by a “one-dimensional” hydrogen-like atom is calculated, which, for example, for the Lyman-alpha line differs almost twice from the probability in the “three-dimensional” case. Similarly, despite the coincidence of nonrelativistic energy levels, the calculated relativistic corrections of the order of (Zα)⁴ substantially differ from corrections in the absence of a magnetic field. A conclusion is made that, by analyzing the hydrogen emission spectrum and emission spectra at all, we can judge in principle about the presence or absence of superstrong magnetic fields in the vicinity of magnetars (neutron stars and probably brown dwarfs). Possible prospects of applying the proposed method for calculations of multielectron atoms are pointed out and the possibility of a more reliable determination of the presence of superstrong magnetic fields in magnetars by this method is considered.     

The effects of the N atom collective Lamb shift on single photon superradiance

The problem of single photon collective spontaneous emission, a.k.a. superradiance, from N atoms prepared by a single photon pulse of wave vector k₀ has been the subject of recent interest. It has been shown that a single photon absorbed uniformly by the N atoms will be followed by spontaneous emission in the same direction [M. Scully, E. Fry, C.H.R. Ooi, K. Wodkiewicz, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 (2006) 010501; M. Scully, Laser Phys. 17 (2007) 635]; and in extensions of this work we have found a new kind of cavity QED in which the atomic cloud acts as a cavity containing the photon [A.A. Svidzinsky, J.T. Chang, M.O. Scully, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100 (2008) 160504]. In most of our studies, we have neglected virtual photon (“Lamb shift”) contributions. However, in a recent interesting paper, Friedberg and Mannassah [R. Friedberg, J.T. Manassah, Phys. Lett. A 372 (2008) 2514] study the effect of virtual photons investigating ways in which such effects can modify the time dependence and angular distributions of collective single photon emission. In the present Letter, we show that such virtual transitions play no essential role in our problem. The conclusions of [M. Scully, E. Fry, C.H.R. Ooi, K. Wodkiewicz, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 (2006) 010501; M. Scully, Laser Phys. 17 (2007) 635; A.A. Svidzinsky, J.T. Chang, M.O. Scully, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100 (2008) 160504] stand as published. However, the N atom Lamb shift is an interesting problem in its own right and we here extend previous work both analytically and numerically.     

Nonperturbative quantum electrodynamics: The Lamb shift

The nonlinear integro-differential equation, obtained from the coupled Maxwell-Dirac equations by eliminating the potential A, is solved by iteration rather than perturbation. The energy shift is complex, the imaginary part giving the spontaneous emission. Both self-energy and vacuum polarization terms are obtained. All results, including renormalization terms, are finite.     

The Lamb shift in finite electrodynamics

Using the finite-electrodynamics model, in which the electromagnetic field is considered as classical but the nature, classical or quantum, of the source of the field is unspecified, we establish, in a very simple way, a general formula associated with the self-energy of a time-periodic system of charges. By applying this formula to the currents associated with an electron bound in a hydrogen-like atom, one obtains immediately the Lamb shift standard formulas.     

The Lamb shift in dimensional regularisation

We present a simple derivation of the Lamb shift using effective field theory techniques and dimensional regularisation.     

Effects of vacuum polarization and of proton polarizability in the Lamb shift of muonic hydrogen

The contributions to the Lamb shift in muonic hydrogen from hadronic vacuum polarization and from the correction associated with electron vacuum polarization and with the proton polarizability are calculated by using present-day experimental data on the cross section for e ⁺ e ⁻ annihilation into hadrons and on structure functions for deep-inelastic ep scattering. The numerical value of the total contribution to the (2P-2S) shift in muonic hydrogen is found to be 10.95 μeV. __________ Translated from Yadernaya Fizika, Vol. 64, No. 7, 2001, pp. 1358–1363. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2001 by Martynenko, Faustov.     

The general relativistic hydrogen atom

The general relativistic Dirac equation is formulated in an arbitrary curved space-time using differential forms. These equations are applied to spherically symmetric systems with arbitrary charge and mass. For the case of a black hole (with event horizon) it is shown that the Dirac Hamiltonian is self-adjoint, has essential spectrum the whole real line and no bound states. Although rigorous results are obtained only for a spherically symmetric system, it is argued that, in the presence of any event horizon there will be no bound states. The case of a naked singularity is investigated with the results that the Dirac Hamiltonian is not self-adjoint. The self-adjoint extensions preserving angular momentum are studied and their spectrum is found to consist of an essential spectrum corresponding to that of a free electron plus eigenvalues in the gap (–mc ², +mc ²). It is shown that, for certain boundary conditions, neutrino bound states exist.Supported in part by the National Science Foundation     

The generalized dynamical equation and the vacuum polarization effect in hydrogenlike atoms

Based on the generalized dynamical equation, vacuum polarization effects are studied within the scope of the bound state theory in quantum electrodynamics. We find a vacuum-polarization correction to the Lamb shift for the 1S state of the hydrogen atom on the order of (α/π)²(Zα)⁴ that is not considered in the standard theory of bound states in quantum electrodynamics.