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.
