QED vacuum polarization in the Coulomb field of a nucleus: A method of high-order calculation
Abstract
A calculation of the quantum electrodynamics (QED) vacuum polarization potential in the Coulomb field of a pointlike nucleus was presented in an earlier publication by the author and his collaborators. Corrections up to order α 2 ( Z α ) 7 were evaluated, where Z is the nuclear charge number and Z α is treated as an independent variable. These corrections correspond to two-loop Feynman graphs with proper propagators of fermions in the external field. The calculation employed a reduction to free QED, leading to free QED Feynman graphs with up to eight independent loops. The method of calculation is described here in detail.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions
Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies
Quantum and Classical Electrodynamics
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Physical Review A
- Publisher
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Volume
- 113
- Issue
- 4
- Publication date
- 27 March 2026
- Language
- EN