Forward virtual Compton scattering and the Lamb shift in chiral perturbation theory

Abstract

We compute the spin-independent structure functions of the forward virtual-photon Compton tensor of the proton at one loop using heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory and dispersion relations. We study the relation between both approaches. We use these results to generalize some sum rules to virtual photon transfer momentum and relate them with sum rules in deep inelastic scattering. We then compute the leading chiral term of the polarizability correction to the Lamb shift of the hydrogen and muonic hydrogen. We obtain -87.05/n^3 Hz and -0.148/n^3 meV for the correction to the hydrogen and muonic hydrogen Lamb shift respectively.