Skip to main content

Foundations of the Relativistic Theory of Many-Electron systems

  • Chapter
Relativistic Effects in Atoms, Molecules, and Solids

Part of the book series: NATO Advanced Science Institutes Series ((NSSB,volume 87))

Abstract

Why is the study of the relativistic theory of many-electron bound systems interesting and useful? As regards utility, a minimal answer can be given by generalizing the response given long ago by a number theorist to a student who asked “Why is number theory useful?” His reply: “It is useful because one can get a Ph.D. with it!”

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. J. Sucher, “a3Ry Corrections to the energy levels of helium,” Columbia University Ph.D. Thesis, 1958; available from University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    Google Scholar 

  2. J. Sucher, Phys. Rev. 109, 1010 (1958).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. E. E. Salpeter, Phys. Rev. 87, 328 (1952).

    Article  ADS  MATH  Google Scholar 

  4. In Ref. 1, eq. (1.1) was called the “no-pair Coulomb ladder equation,” in view of its connection with the so-called “ladder approximation” to the Bethe-Salpeter equation, in which only the repeated exchange of a single boson is taken into account.

    Google Scholar 

  5. M. Douglas and N. M. Kroll, Ann. Phys. N.Y. 82, 89 (1974).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. G. E. Brown and D. G. Ravenhall, Proc. Roy. Soc. A208, 552 (1951).

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. G. Feinberg and J. Sucher, Phys. Rev. Lett. 26, 681 (1971).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. M. H. Mittleman, Phys. Rev. A 4, 893 (1971).

    Google Scholar 

  9. J. Sucher, Rep. Prog. Phys. 41, 1781 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. J. Sucher, Proceedings of the Workshop on the Foundations of the Relativistic Theory of Atomic Structure, edited by H. G. Berry, K. T. Cheng, W. R. Johnson and Y.-K. Kim (Argonne National Laboratory Report, 1981 ).

    Google Scholar 

  11. G. Breit, Phys. Rev. 34, 553 (1929)? 36, 383 (1930)? 39, 616 (1932).

    Article  ADS  MATH  Google Scholar 

  12. In Ref. 11, the spin-spin contact interaction was overlooked. For a review, see H. A. Bethe and E. Salpeter, Quantum Theory of One- and Two-Electron Atoms, (Academic Press, New York, 1971).

    Google Scholar 

  13. For reviews of DHF and related calculations for heavy atoms, see the lectures of J.-P. Desclaux and of I. P. Grant, in these Proceedings.

    Google Scholar 

  14. E. E. Salpeter, Phys. Rev. 87, 328 (1952)? R. Karplus and A. Klein, Phys. Rev. 87, 848 (1952)? T. Fulton and P. C. Martin, Phys. Rev. 93, 903 (1954).

    Google Scholar 

  15. J. Sucher, Phys. Rev. A22, 348 (1980).

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. W. H. Furry, Phys. Rev. 81, 115 (1951)? for a review see S. Schweber, An Introduction to Relativistic Quantum Field Theory, (Row, Peterson and Company, Evanston 1961 ), p. 566.

    Google Scholar 

  17. J. Sucher, J. Phys. B: Atom. Molec. Phys. 11, 1515 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. For a clear discussion of this problem and a remedy for it, see W. H. E. Schwarz and E. Wechsel-Trakowski, University of Siegen report ( 1981 ); F. Mark and W. H. E. Schwarz, ibid (1981).

    Google Scholar 

  19. M. H. Mittleman, Phys. Rev. A 24, 1167 (1981).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1983 Plenum Press, New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Sucher, J. (1983). Foundations of the Relativistic Theory of Many-Electron systems. In: Malli, G.L. (eds) Relativistic Effects in Atoms, Molecules, and Solids. NATO Advanced Science Institutes Series, vol 87. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3596-2_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3596-2_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-3598-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-3596-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics