Portable, high intensity isotopic neutron source provides increased experimental accuracy

Small portable, high intensity isotopic neutron source combines twelve curium-americium beryllium sources. This high intensity of neutrons, with a flux which slowly decreases at a known rate, provides for increased experimental accuracy

Two-Loop Bethe Logarithms

We calculate the two-loop Bethe logarithm correction to atomic energy levels in hydrogen-like systems. The two-loop Bethe logarithm is a low-energy quantum electrodynamic (QED) effect involving multiple summations over virtual excited atomic states. Although much smaller in absolute magnitude than the well-known one-loop Bethe logarithm, the two-loop analog is quite significant when compared to the current experimental accuracy of the 1S-2S transition: it contributes -8.19 and -0.84 kHz for the 1S and the 2S state, respectively. The two-loop Bethe logarithm has been the largest unknown correction to the hydrogen Lamb shift to date. Together with the ongoing measurement of the proton charge radius at the Paul Scherrer Institute its calculation will bring theoretical and experimental accuracy for the Lamb shift in atomic hydrogen to the level of 10^(-7).Comment: 4 pages, RevTe

Lamb Shift of 3P and 4P states and the determination of α\alpha

The fine structure interval of P states in hydrogenlike systems can be determined theoretically with high precision, because the energy levels of P states are only slightly influenced by the structure of the nucleus. Therefore a measurement of the fine structure may serve as an excellent test of QED in bound systems or alternatively as a means of determining the fine structure constant $\alpha$ with very high precision. In this paper an improved analytic calculation of higher-order binding corrections to the one-loop self energy of 3P and 4P states in hydrogen-like systems with low nuclear charge number $Z$ is presented. A comparison of the analytic results to the extrapolated numerical data for high $Z$ ions serves as an independent test of the analytic evaluation. New theoretical values for the Lamb shift of the P states and for the fine structure splittings are given.Comment: 33 pages, LaTeX, 4 tables, 4 figure

Electron Self Energy for Higher Excited S Levels

A nonperturbative numerical evaluation of the one-photon electron self energy for the 3S and 4S states with charge numbers Z=1 to 5 is described. The numerical results are in agreement with known terms in the expansion of the self energy in powers of Zalpha.Comment: 3 pages, RevTeX, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Coordinate-space approach to the bound-electron self-energy: Self-Energy screening calculation

The self-energy screening correction is evaluated in a model in which the effect of the screening electron is represented as a first-order perturbation of the self energy by an effective potential. The effective potential is the Coulomb potential of the spherically averaged charge density of the screening electron. We evaluate the energy shift due to a $1s_{1/2}$, $2s_{1/2}$, $2p_{1/2}$, or $2p_{3/2}$ electron screening a $1s_{1/2}$, $2s_{1/2}$, $2p_{1/2}$, or $2p_{3/2}$ electron, for nuclear charge Z in the range $5 \le Z\le 92$. A detailed comparison with other calculations is made.Comment: 54 pages, 10 figures, 4 table

QED self-energy contribution to highly-excited atomic states

We present numerical values for the self-energy shifts predicted by QED (Quantum Electrodynamics) for hydrogenlike ions (nuclear charge $60 \le Z \le 110$) with an electron in an $n=3$, 4 or 5 level with high angular momentum ($5/2\le j \le 9/2$). Applications include predictions of precision transition energies and studies of the outer-shell structure of atoms and ions.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figure

Lamm, Valluri, Jentschura and Weniger comment on "A Convergent Series for the QED Effective Action" by Cho and Pak [Phys. Rev. Lett. vol. 86, pp. 1947-1950 (2001)]

Complete results were obtained by us in [Can. J. Phys. 71, 389 (1993)] for convergent series representations of both the real and the imaginary part of the QED effective action; these derivations were based on correct intermediate steps. In this comment, we argue that the physical significance of the "logarithmic correction term" found by Cho and Pak in [Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 1947 (2001)] in comparison to the usual expression for the QED effective action remains to be demonstrated. Further information on related subjects can be found in Appendix A of hep-ph/0308223 and in hep-th/0210240.Comment: 1 page, RevTeX; only "meta-data" update

Electron Self Energy for the K and L Shell at Low Nuclear Charge

A nonperturbative numerical evaluation of the one-photon electron self energy for the K- and L-shell states of hydrogenlike ions with nuclear charge numbers Z=1 to 5 is described. Our calculation for the 1S state has a numerical uncertainty of 0.8 Hz in atomic hydrogen, and for the L-shell states (2S and 2P) the numerical uncertainty is 1.0 Hz. The method of evaluation for the ground state and for the excited states is described in detail. The numerical results are compared to results based on known terms in the expansion of the self energy in powers of (Z alpha).Comment: 21 pages, RevTeX, 5 Tables, 6 figure