Radiative Corrections to One-Photon Decays of Hydrogenic Ions
Abstract
Radiative corrections to the decay rate of n=2 states of hydrogenic ions are calculated. The transitions considered are the M1 decay of the 2s state to the ground state and the E1(M2) decays of the
2
p
1/2
and
2
p
3/2
states to the ground state. The radiative corrections start in order
α(Zα
)
2
, but the method used sums all orders of
Zα
. The leading
α(Zα
)
2
correction for the E1 decays is calculated and compared with the exact result. The extension of the calculational method to parity nonconserving transitions in neutral atoms is discussed.