QUANTUM FIELD THEORY OF BOUND STATES. IV. RELATIVISTIC THEORY OF THE EXCITED STATES OF HYDROGEN

摘要: When allowance is made for the instability of excited states hydrogen it necessary to replace equation Salpeter & Bethe (1951) by a set coupled integral equations representatives state vector. These correspond an electron-proton bound and also electron proton with any number photons present. The can be reduced single equation, which gives as eigenstate modified propagator. propagator related two-body Bethe. difference between first approximation compound (Eden 1952, 1953) represented displacement its singularity in total energy-momentum space. This relativistic form all relevant contributions Lamb shift this order; these include contribution from low-energy transverse crossing over arbitrary longitudinal photons; previously term has always been deduced physical arguments obtained non-relativistic methods (Bethe 1947; 1952). decay coefficients order charge. method readily extended higher approximations.