We present the detection of the highly forbidden $2^{3\!}S_1 \rightarrow 3^{3\!}S_1$ atomic transition in helium, the weakest transition observed in any neutral atom. Our measurements of the transition frequency, upper state lifetime, and transition strength agree well with published theoretical values, and can lead to tests of both QED contributions and different QED frameworks. To measure such a weak transition, we developed two methods using ultracold metastable ($2^{3\!}S_1$) helium atoms: low background direct detection of excited then decayed atoms for sensitive measurement of the transition frequency and lifetime; and a pulsed atom laser heating measurement for determining the transition strength. These methods could possibly be applied to other atoms, providing new tools in the search for ultra-weak transitions and precision metrology.
Nonrelativistically forbidden, single-photon transition rates between low lying states of the helium atom are rigorously derived within quantum electrodynamics theory. Equivalence of velocity and length gauges, including relativistic corrections is explicitly demonstrated. Numerical calculations of matrix elements are performed with the use of high precision variational wave functions and compared to former results.
By experimental exploration of the so-called $λ$-Zeeman technique based on Rb nano-cell use we reveal for the first time a strong modification of the probability of the $^{87}$Rb, $D_2$ line $F_g=1 \rightarrow F_e=0, 1, 2, 3$ atomic transitions, including forbidden $F_g=1, m_F =0 \rightarrow F_e=1, m_F =0$ and $F_g=1, m_F =-1 \rightarrow F_e=3, m_F =-1$ transitions (these are forbidden transitions when $B = 0$) in a strong external magnetic field $B$ in the range of 100 - 1100 G. For $π$-polarized exciting diode laser radiation ($λ= 780$ nm) these forbidden transitions at $B > 150$ G are among…
We present the first evidence of excitation of the $5p_{3/2} \rightarrow 6p_{1/2}$ electric dipole-forbidden transition in atomic rubidium. The experiments were carried out in a rubidium vapor cell using Doppler-free optical-optical double-resonance spectroscopy with counter-propagating beams. This a similar scheme to the excitation of the other fine transition $J=3/2$ in the $6p_{J}$ manifold previously reported. A $5s_{1/2} \rightarrow 5p_{3/2}$ electric dipole preparation step using a diode laser locked to the maximum F cyclic transition of the $D_2$ line is used to prepare the atoms in the…
We calculate the density shift and broadening of selected dipole transition lines of pionic helium in gaseous helium at low temperatures up to T=12 K and pressure up to a few bar. In the approximation of binary collisions the shift and broadening depend linearly on the density; we evaluate the slope of this linear dependence for a few spectral lines of known experimental interest, and also investigate its temperature dependence. We find a blue shift of the resonance frequencies of the $(n,l)=(16,15) \rightarrow (16,14)$, $(17,16) \rightarrow (17,15)$, and $(16,15)\rightarrow(17,14)$ unfavored …
We have measured the forbidden 2 3S1 - 2 1P1 transition at 887 nm in a quantum degenerate gas of metastable He-4 atoms confined in an optical dipole trap. The determined transition frequency is 338 133 594.4 (0.5) MHz, from which we obtain an ionization energy of the 2 1P1 state of 814 709 148.6 (0.5) MHz. This ionization energy is in disagreement by > 3 sigma with the most accurate quantum electrodynamics (QED) calculations available. Our measurements also provide a new determination of the lifetime of the 2 1P1 state of 0.551 (0.004)stat (+ 0.013,- 0.000)syst ns, which is the most accurate d…
A large-scale full-configuration-interaction calculation based on Dirac-Coulomb-Breit (DCB) Hamiltonian is performed for the $2\,^1S_0$ and $2\,^3S_1$ states of helium. The operators of the normal and specific mass shifts are directly included in the DCB framework to take the finite nuclear mass correction into account. High-accuracy energies and matrix elements involved n (the main quantum number) up to 13 are obtained from one diagonalization of Hamiltonian. The dynamic dipole polarizabilities are calculated by using the sum rule of intermediate states. And a series of magic wavelengths with…
A theoretical investigation of the three-photon transition rates $ 2^1P_1\rightarrow 2^1S_0\;,1^1S_0 $ and $ 2^3P_2\rightarrow 2^1S_0\;,1^1S_0 $ for the helium atom is presented. Photon energy distributions and precise values of the nonrelativistic transition rates are obtained with employment of correlated wave functions of the Hylleraas type. The possible experiments for the tests of the Bose-Einstein statistics for multiphoton systems are discussed.
We report on the first coherent excitation of the highly forbidden $^2S_{1/2}\rightarrow{}^2F_{7/2}$ electric octupole (E3) transition in a single trapped ${}^{172}$Yb$^+$ ion, an isotope without nuclear spin. Using the transition in ${}^{171}$Yb$^+$ as a reference, we determine the transition frequency to be $642\,116\,784\,950\,887.6(2.4)\,$Hz. We map out the magnetic field environment using the forbidden $^2S_{1/2} \rightarrow{}^2D_{5/2}$ electric quadrupole (E2) transition and determine its frequency to be $729\,476\,867\,027\,206.8(4.4)\,$Hz. Our results are a factor of $1\times10^5$ ($3\…
Collinear Laser Spectroscopy of the $1s2s\,^3\!S_1\rightarrow 1s2p\,^3\!P_{0,2}$ Transitions in Helium-like $^{11}$B$^{3+}$
Institut für Kernphysik, Universität Münster（明斯特大学核物理研究所）；Institut für Kernphysik, Technische Universität Darmstadt（达姆施塔特工业大学核物理研究所）；Helmholtz Research Academy Hesse for FAIR, GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH（黑森州FAIR亥姆霍兹研究院，GSI重离子研究中心有限公司）；GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH（GSI重离子研究中心有限公司）；Argonne National Laboratory（阿贡国家实验室）
Photoelectron emission from excited states of laser-dressed atomic helium is analyzed with respect to laser intensity-dependent excitation energy shifts and angular distributions. In the two-color XUV (exteme ultra\-violet) -- IR (infrared) measurement, the XUV photon energy is scanned between \SI{20.4}{\electronvolt} and the ionization threshold at \SI{24.6}{\electronvolt}, revealing electric dipole-forbidden transitions for a temporally overlapping IR pulse ($\sim\!\SI{e12}{\watt\per \centi\meter\squared}$). The interpretation of the experimental results is supported by numerically solving t…
The collision-induced shift and broadening of selected dipole transition lines of pionic helium in gaseous helium at low temperatures up to $T=12$ K and pressure up to a few bar are calculated within variable phase function approach. We predict blue shift of the resonance frequencies of the $(n,l)=(16,15) \rightarrow (16,14) $ and $(16,15) \rightarrow (17,14)$ unfavored transitions and red shift for the favored transition $(17,16) \rightarrow (16,15)$. The result may be helpful in reducing the systematic error in proposed future experiments for determination of the negatively charged pion mass…
An experiment is proposed to excite the 'forbidden' 1s2s 3S1 - 1s2s 1S0 magnetic dipole (M1) transition at 1557 nm in a collimated and slow atomic beam of metastable helium atoms. It is demonstrated that an excitation rate of 5000 /s can be realised with the beam of a 2W narrowband telecom fiber laser intersecting the atomic beam perpendicularly. A Doppler-limited sub-MHz spectroscopic linewidth is anticipated. Doppler-free excitation of 2% of trapped and cooled atoms may be realised in a one-dimensional optical lattice geometry, using the 2W laser both for trapping and spectroscopy. The very …
We study the Autler Townes (AT) effect derived from a strong electric dipole transition stimulated by a resonant laser beam and probing it by means of a weak electric quadrupole transition with a controlled frequency detuning in a ladder configuration. The experiment was carried out for a $^{87}$Rb atomic gas at room temperature in a velocity-selective scheme. The AT effect was monitored via the splitting of the fluorescence spectra associated with the spontaneous decay to the ground state. The theoretical description incorporates the modification of standard few-level schemes introduced by fo…
We observe the electric-dipole forbidden $7s\rightarrow8s$ transition in the francium isotopes $^{208-211}$Fr and $^{213}$Fr using a two-photon excitation scheme. We collect the atoms online from an accelerator and confine them in a magneto optical trap for the measurements. In combination with previous measurements of the $7s\rightarrow7p_{1/2}$ transition we perform a King Plot analysis. We compare the thus determined ratio of the field shift constants (1.230 $\pm$ 0.019) to results obtained from new ab initio calculations (1.234 $\pm$ 0.010) and find excellent agreement.
High precision spectroscopy on the $2 \ ^3 S \rightarrow 2 \ ^1 S$ transition is possible in ultracold optically trapped helium but the accuracy is limited by the ac-Stark shift induced by the optical dipole trap. To overcome this problem, we have built a trapping laser system at the predicted magic wavelength of 319.8 nm. Our system is based on frequency conversion using commercially available components and produces over 2 W of power at this wavelength. With this system, we show trapping of ultracold atoms, both thermal ($\sim0.2 \ \mathrm{μK}$) and in a Bose-Einstein condensate, with a trap…
The largest failure of the old, Bohr-Sommerfeld quantum theory was with the helium atom. It brought about the theory's demise. I show that this failure does not originate, as commonly believed, with the orbit concept per se. Instead, it was caused by the wrong choice of orbits, compounded by ignorance of the exclusion principle. Choosing semiclassical electron oscillations through the He nucleus, I calculate a singlet ground-state energy that rivals in accuracy with quantum-mechanical results. The same method reveals Bohr's historic energy value as the forbidden triplet ground state--a result …
Precision spectroscopy of simple atomic systems has refined our understanding of the fundamental laws of quantum physics. In particular, helium spectroscopy has played a crucial role in describing two-electron interactions, determining the fine-structure constant and extracting the size of the helium nucleus. Here we present a measurement of the doubly-forbidden 1557-nanometer transition connecting the two metastable states of helium (the lowest energy triplet state 2 3S1 and first excited singlet state 2 1S0), for which quantum electrodynamic and nuclear size effects are very strong. This tra…
The momentum distribution of the electron in the reaction p+He $\rightarrow$ H + He$^{2+}$ + $e$ is measured for projectile energies $E_p$=300 and 630 keV/u at very small scattering angles of hydrogen. We mainly present two dimensional distributions parallel $(k_{||})$ and perpendicular $(k_{\perp})$ to the projectile beam. Theoretical calculations were carried out within the Plane Wave First Born Approximation (PWFBA), which includes both electron emission mechanisms, shake-off and sequential capture and ionization. It is shown that electron correlations in the target wave function play the m…
Helium atoms have been prepared in the circular $|n=55,\ell=54,m_{\ell}=+54\rangle$ Rydberg state using the crossed electric and magnetic fields method. The atoms, initially travelling in pulsed supersonic beams, were photoexcited from the metastable $1s2s\,^3S_1$ level to the outermost, $m_{\ell}=0$ Rydberg-Stark state with $n=55$ in the presence of a strong electric field and weak perpendicular magnetic field. Following excitation, the electric field was adiabatically switched off causing the atoms to evolve into the circular state with $m_{\ell}=+54$ defined with respect to the magnetic fie…
We perform laser absorption spectroscopy with ultracold $^4$He atoms to measure the energy intervals between the $2^{3\!} P_2$ level and five levels in the n = 5 manifold. The laser light perturbs the cold atomic cloud during the production of Bose-Einstein condensates and decreases the phase space density, causing a measurable decrease in the number of atoms in the final condensate. We improve on the precision of previous measurements by at least an order of magnitude, and report the first observation of the spin-forbidden $2^{3\!}P_2 - 5^{1\!}D_2$ transition in helium. Theoretical transition…
The highly forbidden $^2$S$_{1/2} \rightarrow ^2$F$_{7/2}$ electric octupole transition in $^{171}$Yb$^+$ is a potential candidate for a redefinition of the SI second. We present a measurement of the absolute frequency of this optical transition, performed using a frequency link to International Atomic Time to provide traceability to the SI second. The $^{171}$Yb$^+$ optical frequency standard was operated for 76% of a 25-day period, with the absolute frequency measured to be 642 121 496 772 645.14(26) Hz. The fractional uncertainty of $4.0 \times 10 ^{-16}$ is comparable to that of the best p…
We consider a neutralization of excited antiprotonic helium ion accompanied by antiproton transitions to lower states in collisions with helium atoms $(\bar{p}\mathrm{He}^{2+})_{nl} + \mathrm{He} \rightarrow \left[ (\bar{p}\mathrm{He}^{2+})_{n_f l_f} e\right]_{1s} + \mathrm{He}^+$ in low-temperature medium. Interactions in the input and output channels are taken similar to the potentials of $\mathrm{H}^+ - \mathrm{He}$ ($X^1Σ$) and $\mathrm{H} - \mathrm{He}^+$ ($A^1Σ$) systems, respectively. The final term is shifted down by the antiproton transition energy. Therefore initial and final terms c…
Magnetic field-induced giant modification of the probabilities of five transitions of $5S_{1/2}, F_g=2 \rightarrow 5P_{3/2}, F_e=4$ of $^{85}$Rb and three transitions of $5S_{1/2}, F_g=1 \rightarrow 5P_{3/2}, F_e=3$ of $^{87}$Rb forbidden by selection rules for zero magnetic field has been observed experimentally and described theoretically for the first time. For the case of excitation with circularly-polarized ($σ^+$) laser radiation, the probability of $F_g=2, ~m_F=-2 \rightarrow F_e=4, ~m_F=-1$ transition becomes the largest among the seventeen transitions of $^{85}$Rb $F_g=2 \rightarrow F…
We have demonstrated Doppler-free intermodulated fluorescence spectroscopy of helium $2^3P-3^{1,3}D$ transitions in an rf discharged sealed-off cell using a compact laser system at 588 nm. An external cavity diode laser at 1176 nm was constructed to seed a Raman fiber amplifier. Laser power of more than one watt at 588 nm was produced by frequency doubling of the fiber amplifier output using a MgO:PPLN crystal. A doubling efficiency of 23 % was achieved. The power-dependent spectra of the $2^3P-3^3D$ transitions were investigated. Furthermore, the Doppler-free spectrum of the spin-forbidden $2…
We propose and experimentally investigate a scheme for narrow-line cooling of KRb molecules in the rovibrational ground state. We show that the spin-forbidden $\mathrm{X^1Σ^+} \rightarrow \mathrm{b^3Π_{0^+}}$ transition of KRb is ideal for realizing narrow-line laser cooling of molecules because it has highly diagonal Franck-Condon factors and narrow linewidth. In order to confirm the prediction, we performed the optical and microwave spectroscopy of ultracold $^{41}$K$^{87}$Rb molecules, and determined the linewidth ($2π\times$ 4.9(4) kHz) and Franck-Condon factors for the $\mathrm{X^1Σ^+} (v…
Motivated by recent direct measurement of the forbidden $2\,^3S_1\rightarrow3\,^3S_1$ transition in helium [K. F. Thomas et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 013002(2020)], where the ac Stark shift is one of the main systematic uncertainties, we propose a dichroic two-photon transition measurement for $2\,^3S_1\rightarrow3\,^3S_1$ which could effectively suppress the ac Stark shift by utilizing magic wavelengths: one magic wavelength is used to realize state-insensitive optical trapping, the other magic wavelength is used as one of the two lasers driving the two-photon transition. Carrying out calcul…
Raman Transitions in Collinear Laser Spectroscopy for High-Precision Frequency Measurements
Institut für Kernphysik, Technische Universität Darmstadt（达姆施塔特工业大学核物理研究所）；Helmholtz Research Academy Hesse for FAIR, GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung（黑森州FAIR亥姆霍兹研究院，GSI重离子研究中心）；Institute for Nuclear and Radiation Physics, KU Leuven（荷语鲁汶大学核与辐射物理研究所）
We present the results of experiments demonstrating the spectroscopic detection of Förster resonance energy transfer from NH$_3$ in the $X\,^1A_1$ ground electronic state to helium atoms in 1s$n$s\,$^3$S$_1$ Rydberg levels, where $n=37$ and $n=40$. For these values of $n$ the 1s$n$s\,$^3$S$_1\rightarrow$1s$n$p\,$^3$P$_J$ transitions in helium lie close to resonance with the ground-state inversion transitions in NH$_3$, and can be tuned through resonance using electric fields of less than 10~V/cm. In the experiments, energy transfer was detected by direct state-selective electric field ionizati…
Precision measurements of parity non-conserving (PNC) interactions in atoms, molecules and ions can lead to the discovery of new physics beyond the standard model and understanding of weak-force induced interactions in the nucleus. In this paper, we propose and analyze a novel atomic parity violation measurement scheme for a forbidden transition where we combine a two-pathway coherent control mechanism with probe gain techniques. We detail a feasible experimental geometry for $6S_{1/2}\rightarrow 7S_{1/2}$ transitions in a cesium vapor cell, and consider the statistical noise of such a measure…
The lifetimes of the $6d \ ^2D_{3/2}$ and $6d \ ^2D_{5/2}$ states in Fr are estimated to be 540(10) ns and 1704(32) ns respectively. They are determined by calculating the radiative transition amplitudes of the allowed electric dipole (E1) and the forbidden electric quadrupole (E2) and magnetic dipole (M1) channels using the second order many-body perturbation theory (MBPT(2)) and the coupled-cluster (CC) method at different levels of approximation in the relativistic framework. These long lifetimes and the large electric dipole parity non conserving amplitudes of $7s \ ^2S_{1/2} \rightarrow 6…
The primary X-ray diagnostic lines in He-like ions are mainly excited by electron impact from the ground level to the n = 2 levels, but at high temperatures n > 2 levels are also excited. In order to describe the atomic processes more completely collision strengths are computed for OVII including for the first time all of the following: (i) relativistic fine structure, (ii) levels up to the n = 4, and (iii) radiation damping of autoionizing resonances. The calculations are carried out using the Breit-Pauli R-matrix (BPRM) method with a 31-level eigenfunction expansion. Resonance structures in …
Recent studies have confirmed the coupling of optical vortices, such as Laguerre-Gaussian and Bessel-Gaussian modes, to quadrupole-active atomic transitions. This interaction has been shown to be enhanced considerably in the case of Laguerre-Gaussian beams due to the gradient coupling, particularly in the case of a relatively large winding number. Here we consider the trapping and the dynamics of atoms in the optical quadrupole potential generated by two co-axial counter-propagating optical vortex beams. We focus on the atomic transition $6^2S_{1/2}\rightarrow 5^2D_{5/2}$ in Cs which is a dipo…
A theoretical study is performed for the excitation of a single atom localized in the center of twisted light modes. Here we present the explicit dependence of excitation rates on critical parameters, such as the polarization of light, its orbital angular momentum projection, and the orientation of its propagation axis with respect to the atomic quantization axis. The effect of a spatial spread of the atom is also considered in detail. The expressions for transition rates obtained in this work can be used for any atom of arbitrary electronic configuration. For definiteness we apply them to the…
