Atomic radiative transition probabilities using negative-energy orbitals in fully variational wave functions

Transition probabilities have been computed using a variational many-electron theory [R. Jáuregui, C.F. Bunge, E. Ley-Koo, Phys. Rev. A 55 (1997) 1781] incorporating positive-energy and negative-energy orbitals without ambiguities, and absolutely free from variational collapse. The results agree with experiment and with other calculations based on the no-pair Hamiltonian where ad hoc negative-energy orbitals occur in first-order corrections to the wave functions.