Quantum Electrodynamics in Fundamental Physics and Applications

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(公共法律111-5)资助的。量子电动力学是物理学中经过最准确检验的理论，也是我们目前对自然理解的基石。已知的最精确的基本常数是用这个理论确定的，这个领域的理论计算需要一些到目前为止理论物理中设计的最先进的计算方法。它计划阐明各种高阶修正项的性质，这些修正项代表了进一步理解基本常数的障碍，特别是里德堡常数。此外，对原子的远程(非接触)相互作用的描述需要复杂的形式主义。这些相互作用实际上是通过所谓的量子场的虚拟激发进行的。各种相关的相互作用，包括非接触摩擦造成的能量损失，在微观世界中还没有得到充分的了解，但对纳米结构设备(纳米技术)的设计却很重要。这项工作的更广泛影响将包括潜在的新的基本可计算的时间标准，这是各种工业应用所必需的，也使科学家能够找到各种基本常数之间的关系。另一个影响是对描述物理和技术过程的所谓特殊函数的数值算法，以及对角化矩阵的数值算法，其中工业应用也是可以预见的。研究生的教育是研究工作不可或缺的一部分。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Quantum electrodynamics is the most accurately tested theory in physics, and it is a cornerstone of our current understanding of nature. The most accurately known fundamental constants are determined using the theory, and theoretical calculations in this field require some of the most advanced computational methods devised so far in theoretical physics. It is planned to illuminate the nature of various higher-order correction terms that represent obstacles to a further understanding of fundamental constants, notably, the Rydberg constant. Also, the description of long-range (non-contact) interactions of atoms requires a sophisticated formalism. These interactions actually proceed via so-called virtual excitations of quantum fields. Various related interactions, including the loss of energy due to non-contact friction, have not been sufficiently understood in the microscopic world and yet are important, e.g., for the design of nanostructured devices (nanotechnology).The broader impact of the work will include potential new fundamental calculable standards of time, based on calculable atomic transitions, which are necessary for a variety of industrial applications and also enable scientists to find relations among various fundamental constants. Another impact is on numerical algorithms for so-called special functions describing physical and technical processes, and for the diagonalization of matrices where industrial applications can also be envisaged. The education of a graduate student forms an integral part of the research endeavour.