Testing the Equivalence Principle by Lamb shift Energies

TL;DR

This paper explores how high-precision measurements of Lamb shift energies can test the Einstein Equivalence Principle by examining potential violations of local position and Lorentz invariance through quantum electrodynamics effects.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to test the equivalence principle using quantum radiative corrections, specifically the Lamb shift, within the $T H \epsilon\mu$ formalism.

Findings

Calculated the red shift and time dilation parameters for Lamb shift energies.

Proposed high-precision measurements could reveal violations of the equivalence principle.

Provided a theoretical framework connecting quantum effects to fundamental gravitational principles.

Abstract

The Einstein Equivalence Principle has as one of its implications that the non-gravitational laws of physics are those of special relativity in any local freely-falling frame. We consider possible tests of this hypothesis for systems whose energies are due to radiative corrections, i.e. which arise purely as a consequence of quantum field theoretic loop effects. Specifically, we evaluate the Lamb shift transition (as given by the energy splitting between the $2S_{1/2}$ and $2P_{1/2}$ atomic states) within the context of violations of local position invariance and local Lorentz invariance, as described by the $T H \epsilon\mu$ formalism. We compute the associated red shift and time dilation parameters, and discuss how (high-precision) measurements of these quantities could provide new information on the validity of the equivalence principle.