What is the significance of the Ground State Lamb Shift in modern physics?

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SUMMARY

The Ground State Lamb Shift refers to the self-energy of an electron in the hydrogen 1S orbital, a concept that gained prominence until around 1995 but has since seen a decline in usage due to disagreements on the energies included in its definition. Recent discussions highlight the measurement of the Lamb Shift at 8172.874(60) MHz, with references to significant historical experiments, including a 1950s study utilizing a 3 m vacuum grating spectrograph in fifth order. The lack of consensus on the Lamb Shift's components has contributed to its diminished presence in contemporary literature.

PREREQUISITES
  • Quantum Electrodynamics (QED)
  • Hydrogen atom energy levels
  • Measurement techniques in atomic physics
  • Understanding of self-energy concepts
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Physicists, particularly those specializing in atomic physics and quantum mechanics, as well as researchers interested in the historical and contemporary significance of the Ground State Lamb Shift.

neilparker62
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What exactly is the so-called "Ground State Lamb Shift". It seems to have been an 'in vogue' quantity up till 1995 or so - then vanished from the literature ?? It's the 'self energy' or something like that of an electron in H 1S orbital. A scientist (at NIST) told me it's a term that has gone out of use because there's no agreement on which of the various energies should or should not be included as part of "Ground State Lamb Shift".

Also are there any subsequent advances on the measurement 8172.874(60) MHz given here:

https://journals.aps.org/pra/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevA.52.2664

Another (older) reference here:

http://rspa.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/234/1199/516

This was a 'cutting edge' 1950s experiment deploying a "3 m vacuum grating spectrograph in fifth order."
 

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