1
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Loetzsch R, Beyer HF, Duval L, Spillmann U, Banaś D, Dergham P, Kröger FM, Glorius J, Grisenti RE, Guerra M, Gumberidze A, Heß R, Hillenbrand PM, Indelicato P, Jagodzinski P, Lamour E, Lorentz B, Litvinov S, Litvinov YA, Machado J, Paul N, Paulus GG, Petridis N, Santos JP, Scheidel M, Sidhu RS, Steck M, Steydli S, Szary K, Trotsenko S, Uschmann I, Weber G, Stöhlker T, Trassinelli M. Testing quantum electrodynamics in extreme fields using helium-like uranium. Nature 2024; 625:673-678. [PMID: 38267680 PMCID: PMC10808054 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06910-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Quantum electrodynamics (QED), the quantum field theory that describes the interaction between light and matter, is commonly regarded as the best-tested quantum theory in modern physics. However, this claim is mostly based on extremely precise studies performed in the domain of relatively low field strengths and light atoms and ions1-6. In the realm of very strong electromagnetic fields such as in the heaviest highly charged ions (with nuclear charge Z ≫ 1), QED calculations enter a qualitatively different, non-perturbative regime. Yet, the corresponding experimental studies are very challenging, and theoretical predictions are only partially tested. Here we present an experiment sensitive to higher-order QED effects and electron-electron interactions in the high-Z regime. This is achieved by using a multi-reference method based on Doppler-tuned X-ray emission from stored relativistic uranium ions with different charge states. The energy of the 1s1/22p3/2 J = 2 → 1s1/22s1/2 J = 1 intrashell transition in the heaviest two-electron ion (U90+) is obtained with an accuracy of 37 ppm. Furthermore, a comparison of uranium ions with different numbers of bound electrons enables us to disentangle and to test separately the one-electron higher-order QED effects and the bound electron-electron interaction terms without the uncertainty related to the nuclear radius. Moreover, our experimental result can discriminate between several state-of-the-art theoretical approaches and provides an important benchmark for calculations in the strong-field domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Loetzsch
- Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena, Germany.
| | - H F Beyer
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - L Duval
- Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Sorbonne Université, ENS-PSL Research University, Collège de France, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - U Spillmann
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - D Banaś
- Institute of Physics, Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce, Poland
| | - P Dergham
- Institut des NanoSciences de Paris, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - F M Kröger
- Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena, Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - J Glorius
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - R E Grisenti
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - M Guerra
- Laboratory of Instrumentation, Biomedical Engineering and Radiation Physics (LIBPhys-UNL), Department of Physics, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Caparica, Portugal
| | - A Gumberidze
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - R Heß
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - P-M Hillenbrand
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
- I. Physikalisches Institut, Justus-Liebig-Universität, Giessen, Germany
| | - P Indelicato
- Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Sorbonne Université, ENS-PSL Research University, Collège de France, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - P Jagodzinski
- Institute of Physics, Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce, Poland
| | - E Lamour
- Institut des NanoSciences de Paris, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - B Lorentz
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - S Litvinov
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Yu A Litvinov
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - J Machado
- Laboratory of Instrumentation, Biomedical Engineering and Radiation Physics (LIBPhys-UNL), Department of Physics, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Caparica, Portugal
| | - N Paul
- Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Sorbonne Université, ENS-PSL Research University, Collège de France, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - G G Paulus
- Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - N Petridis
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
- Institut für Kernphysik, Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - J P Santos
- Laboratory of Instrumentation, Biomedical Engineering and Radiation Physics (LIBPhys-UNL), Department of Physics, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Caparica, Portugal
| | - M Scheidel
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - R S Sidhu
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
- School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - M Steck
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - S Steydli
- Institut des NanoSciences de Paris, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - K Szary
- Institute of Physics, Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce, Poland
| | - S Trotsenko
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - I Uschmann
- Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena, Germany
| | - G Weber
- Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Th Stöhlker
- Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena, Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - M Trassinelli
- Institut des NanoSciences de Paris, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
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3
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Malyshev AV, Glazov DA, Kozhedub YS, Anisimova IS, Kaygorodov MY, Shabaev VM, Tupitsyn II. Ab initio Calculations of Energy Levels in Be-Like Xenon: Strong Interference between Electron-Correlation and QED Effects. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 126:183001. [PMID: 34018778 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.126.183001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The strong mixing of close levels with two valence electrons in Be-like xenon greatly complicates ab initio QED calculations beyond the first-order approximation. Because of a strong interplay between the electron-electron correlation and QED effects, the standard single-level perturbative QED approach may fail, even if it takes into account the second-order screened QED diagrams. In the present Letter, the corresponding obstacles are overcome by working out the QED perturbation theory for quasidegenerate states. The contributions of all the Feynman diagrams up to the second order are taken into account. The many-electron QED effects are rigorously evaluated in the framework of the extended Furry picture to all orders in the nuclear-strength parameter αZ. The higher-order electron-correlation effects are considered within the Breit approximation. The nuclear recoil effect is accounted for as well. The developed approach is applied to high-precision QED calculations of the ground and singly excited energy levels in Be-like xenon. The most accurate theoretical predictions for the binding and excitation energies are obtained. These results deviate from the most precise experimental value by 3σ but perfectly agree with a more recent measurement.
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Affiliation(s)
- A V Malyshev
- Department of Physics, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - D A Glazov
- Department of Physics, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Y S Kozhedub
- Department of Physics, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - I S Anisimova
- Department of Physics, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - M Y Kaygorodov
- Department of Physics, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - V M Shabaev
- Department of Physics, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - I I Tupitsyn
- Department of Physics, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
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4
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Tupitsyn II, Kozlov MG, Safronova MS, Shabaev VM, Dzuba VA. Quantum Electrodynamical Shifts in Multivalent Heavy Ions. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2016; 117:253001. [PMID: 28036218 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.117.253001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The quantum electrodynamics (QED) corrections are directly incorporated into the most accurate treatment of the correlation corrections for ions with complex electronic structure of interest to metrology and tests of fundamental physics. We compared the performance of four different QED potentials for various systems to access the accuracy of QED calculations and to make a prediction of highly charged ion properties urgently needed for planning future experiments. We find that all four potentials give consistent and reliable results for ions of interest. For the strongly bound electrons, the nonlocal potentials are more accurate than the local potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- I I Tupitsyn
- Department of Physics, St. Petersburg State University, Ulianovskaya 1, Petrodvorets, St. Petersburg 198504, Russia
- Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Gatchina 188300, Russia
| | - M G Kozlov
- Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Gatchina 188300, Russia
- St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University "LETI", Professor Popov Street 5, St. Petersburg 197376, Russia
| | - M S Safronova
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
- Joint Quantum Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Maryland, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - V M Shabaev
- Department of Physics, St. Petersburg State University, Ulianovskaya 1, Petrodvorets, St. Petersburg 198504, Russia
| | - V A Dzuba
- School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
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9
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Epp SW, López-Urrutia JRC, Brenner G, Mäckel V, Mokler PH, Treusch R, Kuhlmann M, Yurkov MV, Feldhaus J, Schneider JR, Wellhöfer M, Martins M, Wurth W, Ullrich J. Soft x-ray laser spectroscopy on trapped highly charged ions at FLASH. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2007; 98:183001. [PMID: 17501569 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.98.183001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2006] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
In a proof-of-principle experiment, we demonstrate high-resolution resonant laser excitation in the soft x-ray region at 48.6 eV of the 2 (2)S(1/2) to 2 (2)P(1/2) transition of Li-like Fe23+ ions trapped in an electron beam ion trap by using ultrabrilliant light from Free Electron Laser in Hamburg (FLASH). High precision spectroscopic studies of highly charged ions at this and upcoming x-ray lasers with an expected accuracy gain up to a factor of a thousand, become possible with our technique, thus potentially yielding fundamental insights, e.g., into basic aspects of QED.
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Affiliation(s)
- S W Epp
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
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