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Quantum electrodynamics

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Relativistic Quantum Theory of Atoms and Molecules

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Atomic, Optical, and Plasma Physics ((SSAOPP,volume 40))

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Abstract

Quantum electrodynamics (QED), the study of the motion of electrically charged particles such as electrons, positrons, and charged nuclei, provides the formal framework for the relativistic theory of atoms, molecules, and other forms of matter. Quantum field theory [1, 2], of which QED is an example, was invented to model physical processes in which the number of particles is not necessarily fixed. The coupling of the electron-positron field with the Maxwell photon field in QED allows us to build a relativistic theory of atoms and molecules. Feynman diagrams serve to clarify the radiative and collision processes that contribute to atomic and molecular physics. A subset of these diagrams corresponds to the familiar self-consistent field theory, which is both the starting point for more accurate calculations as well as a popular model in its own right. Diagrams associated with “radiative corrections”, which are not normally included in theories of atomic or molecular electronic structure, pose additional technical challenges. The interaction of a charged particle with the fluctuations of the Maxwell photon field leads to a correction to the particle’s energy and to its magnetic moment, whilst the particle’s charge modifies the electromagnetic field close by. These radiative corrections can be significant in some applications.

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  1. Mathematical Institute, Oxford University, Oxford, UK

    I. P. Grant

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(2007). Quantum electrodynamics. In: Grant, I.P. (eds) Relativistic Quantum Theory of Atoms and Molecules. Springer Series on Atomic, Optical, and Plasma Physics, vol 40. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-35069-1_4

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