The contribution, by zitterbewegung, to a probable correction to the electron orbital g-factor is calculated. For an electron in a magnetic field, the orbital g-factor g<sub>L</sub> is not equal to 1 exactly, and the calculated anomaly, compared with the experimentally observed values, are in reasonable agreement, both in sign and order of magnitude. The contribution of zitterbewegung to the linewidth or broadening of a Landau level is calculated. An expression for the lifetime of a state is derived, showing that the electron is placed, due to zitterbewegung, in a state with a finite lifetime, with the probable emission/absorption of massless particles. The expected anomaly in the electron orbital g-factor may be measured using high-precision spectroscopic techniques.
A time-dependent, spin-1/2, relativistic wave equation is introduced, so that some difficulties associated with the free particle Dirac equation may be resolved in a natural and systematic way. It has been found possible to establish a connection between the fluctuation of the velocity and a mass function which describes the fluctuation of the rest mass, derived from the Dirac theory. The time-dependent equation obtained by substituting the mass function for the constant mass term allows the description of spin fluctuations, for example, as time-dependent transitions between nonstationary states.
Deviations from the exact value 1, of the electron orbital g-factor
g
L
,
are determined from the measured
g
J
ratios of some states of the noble gas atoms He, Ne and Ar. The calculated values are compared with those previously found from the ratio of the Lande g-factors measured on the atoms of In, Ga and Na. The anomalies obtained from some of the rare gas atoms are, at least, one order of magnitude higher, in absolute value, than those from the one-valence-electron atoms. Configuration interactions and perturbations are considered for the atomic states analyzed and are found to be negligible. Thus, the electron’s orbital g-factor appears significantly anomalous. The implications for QED and the structure of the electron are discussed.
A proposal is made to determine, by measurement, a possible anomaly in the electron’s orbital g-factor. It is generally assumed that the electron’s orbital g-factor is exactly 1, but it could be anomalous. Compared with the electron spin g-factor, the orbital g-factor has received very little experimental attention. A few possible experiments, in which an anomaly may be observed, are described.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.