Electron interaction with the spin angular momentum of the electromagnetic field

We give a simple derivation and expansion of a recently proposed new relativistic interaction between the electron and the spin angular momentum of the electromagnetic field in quantum electrodynamics (QED). Our derivation is based on the work of Møller, who pointed out that, in special relativity, a particle with spin must always have a finite extension. After generalizing Møller's classical result to include both rotation and quantum effects, we show that it leads to a new contribution to the energy, which is the special relativistic interaction term. In addition, we show that all relativistic terms involving spin terms arising from the Dirac equation may be obtained by this method. (paper)