Quantum Electrodynamics Based on Self-Fields - Jonathan Dowling

In an extension of the neoclassical theory of Jaynes, which itself an independent rediscovery of an old idea by Fermi, we will discuss the Self-Field Electrodynamics of Barut and show how this semiclassical theory can be used to recover such QED effects as spontaneous emission, Lamb shift, and g-2, all without field second quantization. We will also discuss how the Jaynes neoclassical theory was limited by the two-level approximation, which is removed in the Barut theory. The self-field theory agrees with full QED in all cases computed so far, up to first order in the fine structure expansion.