Three-loop radiative-recoil corrections to hyperfine splitting in muonium

Abstract

We consider three-loop radiative-recoil corrections to hyperfine splitting in muonium. These corrections are enhanced by the large logarithm of the electron–muon mass ratio. The leading logarithm-cubed and logarithm-squared contributions were obtained a long time ago. We calculate the single-logarithmic and nonlogarithmic contributions of order α3(m/M)EF generated by gauge invariant sets of diagrams with one- and two-loop polarization insertions in diagrams with two exchanged photons and radiative photons, and by diagrams with one-loop radiative photon insertions both in the electron and muon lines. The results of this paper constitute a next step in the implementation of the program of reduction of the theoretical uncertainty of hyperfine splitting below 10 Hz. They improve the theory of hyperfine splitting, and affect the value of the electron–muon mass ratio extracted from experimental data on the muonium hyperfine splitting.PACS Nos.: 12.20.Ds, 31.30.Jv, 32.10.Fn, 36.10.Dr