Radiation Reaction and Radiative Frequency Shifts

We investigate the question of Quantum Electrodynamic radiative corrections to atomic transition frequencies. It is shown that the Heisenberg equations of motion allow a novel and fruitful exploitation of the concept of radiation reaction? * Research partially supported by the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission and by the U. S. Army Research Office (Durham). ** NSF Predoctoral Trainee. f Permanent address: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627. (To be published in Physical Review Letters)