- #1
Ali Lavasani
- 54
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In https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamb_shift about the lamb shift, it's mentioned that the change in the electron's frequency due to QED effects (vacuum polarization and self-energy correction) is about 1 GHz, which would translate to an energy change of hf = 6.63E-25 J. This is 3E-7 times of the hydrogen electron's kinetic energy (13.6 eV). It might seem small, but given the huge velocity of the electron in an atom (2E6 m/s), the change in the velocity for a factor of 3E-7 in energy would be about 0.3 m/s (dv = dE/mv).
Now, given the very small size of the atom (1E-10 m), even in one nanosecond, a 0.3 m/s uncertainty in the velocity of the electron would make the uncertainty in its position 3 times more than the radius of the atom, which means a complete uncertainty of position inside the atom.
Is this argument correct? So why are QED effects assumed to be small?
Now, given the very small size of the atom (1E-10 m), even in one nanosecond, a 0.3 m/s uncertainty in the velocity of the electron would make the uncertainty in its position 3 times more than the radius of the atom, which means a complete uncertainty of position inside the atom.
Is this argument correct? So why are QED effects assumed to be small?