Vacuum Polarization Effects in the Hyperfine Splitting of Hydrogen Like Ions

TL;DR

This paper investigates how vacuum polarization affects the hyperfine structure of hydrogen-like ions, considering both leptonic and hadronic contributions, nuclear models, and associated uncertainties.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of vacuum polarization corrections to hyperfine splitting, including wave function and magnetic potential modifications, with a semi-empirical treatment of hadronic effects.

Findings

Quantifies VP corrections to hyperfine levels.

Analyzes uncertainties from nuclear charge distribution.

Compares different nuclear models' impacts.

Abstract

The hyperfine structure of bound electrons in hydrogen-like ions is considered with corrections to the energy levels due to vacuum polarization (VP). Corrections to the wave function as well as the magnetic potential are determined for both leptonic and hadronic VP. Hadronic VP is treated with a semi-empirical approach. Uncertainties due to the nuclear charge distribution are given and discussed. Point-like, spherical and Fermi distributed nuclear models are considered and the differences of the results are discussed.