Nonperturbative calculation of the two-loop lamb shift in Li-like ions

Phys Rev Lett. 2006 Dec 22;97(25):253004. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.253004. Epub 2006 Dec 21.

Abstract

A calculation valid to all orders in the nuclear-strength parameter is presented for the two-loop Lamb shift, notably for the two-loop self-energy correction, to the 2p-2s transition energies in heavy Li-like ions. The calculation removes the largest theoretical uncertainty for these transitions and yields the first experimental identification of two-loop QED effects in the region of the strong binding field.