Precision measurement of the electron orbital gyromagnetic factor: relativistic contributions from zitterbewegung

Abstract

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 gL 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.