Contribution of vacuum fluctuation to the self-energy of the electron

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the derivation of the transverse self-energy of the electron as presented by Heitler in "The Quantum Theory of Radiation." Heitler's formula, given by $$\frac{{{e^2}}}{{\pi m}}\int_{\text{0}}^\infty {kdk}$$, represents the energy of the electron influenced by vacuum fluctuations of the radiation field. This result is only half of Weisskopf's calculation because Heitler's analysis includes only the transverse components of the electromagnetic field, whereas Weisskopf's approach incorporates both transverse and longitudinal components, leading to a more comprehensive result.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of quantum electrodynamics (QED)
  • Familiarity with electromagnetic field theory
  • Knowledge of self-energy concepts in particle physics
  • Basic calculus for evaluating integrals
NEXT STEPS
  • Study Weisskopf's 1939 paper in "Physical Review" for a detailed comparison of self-energy calculations
  • Explore the implications of longitudinal components in electromagnetic theory
  • Review Heitler's "The Quantum Theory of Radiation" for foundational concepts in QED
  • Investigate advanced topics in vacuum fluctuations and their effects on particle physics
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Physicists, particularly those specializing in quantum electrodynamics, theoretical physicists, and students studying advanced electromagnetic theory will benefit from this discussion.

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In the book" The Quantum Theory of Radiation", Heitler derived the transverse self-energy of the electron(Chapter III, Section18, Eq.(23))

$$\frac{{{e^2}}}{{\pi m}}\int_{\text{0}}^\infty {kdk} $$
which is the energy of the electron under the action of the vacuum fluctuation of the
radiation field. But it is one half of Weisskopf's result( (Phys. Rev. 56, 72,1939: page 81). Why? I can't figure it out.
 
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Heitler's result is only one half of Weisskopf's result because Heitler's calculation only accounts for the transverse components of the electromagnetic field, while Weisskopf also considers the longitudinal components. Heitler's result comes from calculating the energy of the electron due to the transverse components of the electromagnetic field, while Weisskopf's result comes from calculating the energy of the electron due to both the transverse and longitudinal components of the electromagnetic field.
 

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