Two-loop vacuum polarization in a Coulomb field
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The leading-order two-loop vacuum-polarization potential, linear in the Coulomb field of a nucleus, was first derived in the seminal 1955 work of Källén and Sabry [ , 1 (1955)]. The higher-order two-loop vacuum-polarization corrections, however, have remained unknown until now. In this work, we compute Coulomb corrections to the Källén-Sabry potential, specifically those involving three, five, and seven Coulomb interactions inside the vacuum-polarization loop. The potentials are evaluated in momentum space and subsequently used to calculate one-electron energy shifts. Our results reduce the theoretical uncertainty of the two-loop vacuum-polarization contribution to transition energies, which is required for next-generation tests of bound-state QED in heavy one- and few-electron ions as well as for the determination of nuclear charge radii.
Source: Physical Review A
DOI: 10.1103/bm5f-11hh
Authors: S. A. Volkov, V. A. Yerokhin, Z. Harman, C. H. Keitel
Institution: Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
Language: English
Topic: Atomic and Molecular Physics
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,675
OpenAlex ID: W4417268191