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Testing the Equivalence Principle by Lamb shift Energies

C. Alvarez·R. B. Mann
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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 $T H εμ$ 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.

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C. Alvarez, R. B. Mann. 1996-12-12. Testing the Equivalence Principle by Lamb shift Energies. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.54.5954

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