Nuclear recoil with electron vacuum polarization in muonic atoms

Abstract

Using the heavy-particle QED approach, we derive the last missing $α\,(Zα)^5\,m^2/M$ nuclear recoil correction in muonic atoms, which originates from the combination of the $(Zα)^5\,m^2/M$ recoil with the electron vacuum polarization. Numerical results are presented for the $1S$, $2S$, and $2P$ states of $μ$H, $μ$D, $μ^3$He$^+$, and $μ^4$He$^+$. For the $2P-2S$ Lamb shift in muonic helium ions, our results are of opposite sign and about four times smaller in magnitude than the previous logarithmic estimates.