Abstract:
We develop a formulation of quantum electrodynamics in the presence of a dispersive and absorptive medium, giving a unified description of both relativistic and nonrelativistic interactions. It is based on using the electric field as the fundamental dynamical variable and introducing extra dynamical variables for the medium. As an application, we consider the Lamb shift in the presence a dielectric occupying a half-space.
Keywords:quantum electrodynamics, dispersive and absorptive media, Lamb shift in a medium.
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