Breit and Quantum Electrodynamics Energy Contributions in Multielectron Atoms from the Relativistic Screened Hydrogenic Model

Abstract

The correction to the Coulomb repulsion between two electrons due to the exchange of a transverse photon, referred to as the Breit interaction, as well as the main quantum electrodynamics contributions to the atomic energies (self-energy and vacuum polarization), are calculated using the recently formulated relativistic screened hydrogenic model. Comparison with the results of multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock calculations and experimental X-ray energies is made.