Quantum Ripples in the Atom: A Simple Way to Account for Them ⚡ экспресс
Original: "Wichmann-Kroll vacuum polarization correction to lithium-like systems in a Gaussian basis set"
Using simple mathematical forms, scientists have for the first time accurately accounted for the influence of quantum fluctuations on electrons in highly charged ions.
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The quantum vacuum isn't as empty as it seems: in atoms, it slightly alters the path of electrons. For highly charged ions, like lithium-like ones, scientists found a simple mathematical trick to precisely calculate this tiny effect. A step toward ultra-precise atomic clocks.
🎯 The energy shift due to vacuum polarization in the hydrogen atom is so small that it is equivalent to a change in the distance between the electron and the nucleus of just one hundredth of the proton's size.
🎬 Harvesting energy from the quantum ripples of the vacuum is a popular sci-fi trope, as in Arthur C. Clarke's novel 'The City and the Stars'.