We use perturbed relativistic coupled-cluster (PRCC) theory to calculate the electric dipole polarizability of the noble-gas atoms Ar, Kr, Xe, and Rn. We also provide a detailed description of the nonlinear terms in the PRCC theory and consider the Dirac-Coulomb-Breit atomic Hamiltonian for the calculations. We find that the largest contribution from the Breit interaction to the electric dipole polarizability is 0.1$\%$, in the case of Rn. As we go from Ar to Rn, based on the pattern in the random-phase-approximation effects, the contraction of the outermost $p_{1/2}$ orbitals due to relativistic corrections is discernible without any ambiguity.

• Received 23 October 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.86.062508