A simple model based on quantum electrodynamics (QED) is presented to estimate the contribution of the excited-level few-photon decays to the radiation escape from the matter in the epoch of cosmological hydrogen recombination. It is shown that apart from the widely studied two-photon decays, some specific three-photon decays can contribute with an accuracy of 0.1%, which is required by recent astrophysical observations.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)165006_1-14
JournalJournal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
Volume45
Issue number16
DOIs
StatePublished - 2012

ID: 5369739