Abstract
The Landég factor describes the response of an atomic energy level to an external perturbation by a uniform and constant magnetic field. In the case of many-electron systems, the leading term is given by the interaction μ B(L- +2S- )•B- , where L- and S- are the orbital and spin angular momentum operators, respectively, summed over all electrons. For helium, a long-standing experimental-theoretical discrepancy for P states motivates a re-evaluation of the higher order terms which follow from relativistic quantum theory and quantum electrodynamics (QED). The tensor structure of relativistic corrections involves scalar, vector, and symmetric and antisymmetric tensor components. We perform a tensorial reduction of these operators in a Cartesian basis, using an approach which allows us to separate the internal atomic from the external degrees of freedom (magnetic field) right from the start of the calculation. The evaluation proceeds in a Cartesian basis of helium eigenstates, using a weighted sum over the magnetic projections. For the relativistic corrections, this leads to a verification of previous results obtained using the Wigner-Eckhart theorem. The same method, applied to the radiative correction (Bethe logarithm term) leads to a spin-dependent correction, which is different for singlet versus triplet P states. Theoretical predictions are given for singlet and triplet 2P and triplet 3P states and compared to experimental results where available.
Recommended Citation
M. Puchalski and U. D. Jentschura, "Quantum Electrodynamic Corrections to the g Factor of Helium P States," Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics, vol. 86, no. 2, pp. 022508-1 - 022508-9, American Physical Society (APS), Aug 2012.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.86.022508
Department(s)
Physics
Keywords and Phrases
Anti-symmetric; Cartesians; Constant Magnetic Fields; Eigenstates; External Perturbations; G Factors; Higher Order Terms; Leading Terms; Many-electron Systems; Quantum Electrodynamics; Radiative Corrections; Re-evaluation; Relativistic Correction; Relativistic Quantum Theory; Spin Angular Momentum; Tensor Components; Theoretical Prediction; Weighted Sum
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1050-2947
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2012 American Physical Society (APS), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Aug 2012
