First-order relativistic corrections to the theory of Coulomb excitation

It is suggested that relativistic effects may be significant in high-precision Coulomb-excitation experiments. First-order corrections to the non-relativistic theory of Coulomb excitation are determined with the restriction that all of the states involved in the excitation have the same parity and that the scattering angle is 180°. The results of some numerical calculations are presented to give an indication of the magnitude of the correction. A recent experiment to determine the B(E2;0⁺ → 2⁺) and excited-state quadrupole moment of ¹⁹⁸Hg is reanalyzed and the relativistic correction to the B(E2) is found to be several times the experimental uncertainty. Sizeable effects are also found in multiple Coulomb excitation.