It is shown that the Lamb shift for stripped high-Z atoms can be accurately obtained from that for hydrogenic atoms of the same Z by taking into account the correct electron density at the origin of coordinates as given by the Hartree-Fock approximation. This method provides a computationally simple way of evaluating such energy shifts.

• Received 23 June 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.47.1503