Muonic bound systems, virtual particles and proton radius

Abstract

The proton radius puzzle questions the self-consistency of theory and experiment in light muonic and electronic bound systems. Here, we summarize the current status of virtual particle models as well as Lorentz-violating models that have been proposed in order to explain the discrepancy. Highly charged one-electron ions and muonic bound systems have been used as probes of the strongest electromagnetic fields achievable in the laboratory. The average electric field seen by a muon orbiting a proton is comparable to hydrogenlike Uranium and, notably, larger than the electric field in the most advanced strong-laser facilities. Effective interactions due to virtual annihilation inside the proton (lepton pairs) and process-dependent corrections (nonresonant effects) are discussed as possible explanations of the proton size puzzle. The need for more experimental data on related transitions is emphasized.

11 pages; RevTeX

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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Theory of the n=2 levels in muonic helium-3 ions
• Experiments towards resolving the proton charge radius puzzle
• Axion-modified photon propagator, Coulomb potential and Lamb-shift
• Proton Radius: A Puzzle or a Solution!?
• Short-Range Hard-Sphere Potential and Coulomb Interaction: Deser-Trueman Formula for Rydberg States of Exotic Atomic Systems
• Reexamination of vacuum-polarization corrections to the self-energy in muonic bound systems