Abstract
Two-photon decay of hydrogenlike ions is studied within the framework of second-order perturbation theory, based on the relativistic Dirac’s equation. Special attention is paid to the effects arising from the summation over the negative-energy (intermediate virtual) states that occur in such a framework. In order to investigate the role of these states, detailed calculations have been carried out for the and transitions in neutral hydrogen H as well as for hydrogenlike xenon and uranium ions. We found that for a correct evaluation of the total and energy-differential decay rates, summation over the negative-energy part of Dirac’s spectrum should be properly taken into account both for high- and low- atomic systems.
- Received 16 August 2009
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.80.052511
©2009 American Physical Society