Vertex-type thermal correction to the one-photon transition rates

TL;DR

This paper calculates relativistic thermal corrections to one-photon transition rates in hydrogen-like ions, revealing corrections of a few percent for highly excited states due to vertex interactions with blackbody radiation.

Contribution

It introduces a fully relativistic approach to evaluate vertex-type thermal corrections to atomic transition rates within the adiabatic S-matrix framework.

Findings

Thermal corrections can reach a few percent for highly excited hydrogen states.

Vertex-type radiative corrections are significant in the presence of blackbody radiation.

The approach is comprehensive for hydrogen-like systems.

Abstract

Thermal corrections to the one-photon spontaneous and induced transition probabilities for hydrogen and hydrogen-like ions are evaluated. The found thermal corrections are given by the vertex Feynman graph, where the vertex represents the thermal interaction between the bound electron and the nucleus. All derivations of thermal corrections to bound-bound transitions for an atom exposed to blackbody radiation (BBR) are made in a fully relativistic approach within the framework of the adiabatic $S$-matrix formalism. It is found that the vertex-type radiative corrections to the transition rates can be at the level of a few percent to corresponding spontaneous rates for highly excited states in the hydrogen atom. A comprehensive analysis of the vertex-type thermal corrections for hydrogen-like atomic systems is presented.