Ground states in non-relativistic quantum electrodynamics

Abstract.

The excited states of a charged particle interacting with the quantized electromagnetic field and an external potential all decay, but such a particle should have a true ground state – one that minimizes the energy and satisfies the Schrödinger equation. We prove quite generally that this state exists for all values of the fine-structure constant and the ultraviolet cutoff. We also show the same thing for a many-particle system under physically natural conditions.