Abstract
The energy shift of electrons in heavy atoms due to the self-energy correction has been calculated. This process is treated to all orders in , where denotes the nuclear charge. For the superheavy system , where the -shell binding energy reaches the pair-production threshold (), a shift of +11.0 keV is found. This shift is almost cancelled by the vacuum polarization, leaving a negligible effect for all quantum-electrodynamical corrections of order but all orders of .
- Received 23 February 1982
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.48.1465
©1982 American Physical Society