self-massn.
/ˌsɛlfˈmas/, U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈmæs/ Physics.
Chiefly in quantum field theory: the mass of a particle arising relativistically from its self-energy (self-energy n. 2).
ΚΠ
1949 Proc. Royal Irish Acad. 1948–50 A. 52 108 The self mass of the electron.
1955 O. Klein in W. Pauli Niels Bohr & Devel. Physics 112 Since we are neglecting the interaction between electrons and electromagnetic fields the question of the self-mass does not appear.
1977 Dædalus Fall 27 Thus the electron mass found in tables of physical data..would have to be identified with the bare mass plus the infinite ‘self mass’, produced by the interaction of the electron with its own virtual photon cloud.
2014 J. W. Moffat Cracking Quantum Code of Universe v. 82 The effective self-mass caused by the interaction of the electron with its own electromagnetic field.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, January 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1949