Effects of charge-assisted hydrogen bond on sorption and co-sorption of pharmaceutical contaminants on carbonaceous materials: Spectroscopic and theoretical studies

Charge-assisted hydrogen bond (CAHB) is a key mechanism that affects the environmental behavior of pharmaceutical pollutants (PCs). However, the strength and stability of various CAHBs, and their effects on the co-sorption behavior of PCs are still unclear. Herein, DFT calculation with different solvent models including two implicit solvent model (PCM and SMD), and one explicit solvent model (ESM) were applied in this study, to investigate the effects of different CAHBs on the sorption and co-sorption behavior of four PCs (e.g., clofibric acid, p-aminobenzoic acid, acetaminophen, and sulfamerazine) on three model carbonaceous materials. First, the appearance of new peaks in the very low field of 1H NMR, and the blue shift of OH and NH2 peaks in FTIR indicated that CAHBs were indeed formed between PCs and carbonaceous materials. Next, according to the principal component analysis and correlation analysis of parameters (e.g., ΔEads, bond length, bond angle, Egap, and ΔG) of these CAHBs calculated by the DFT with different solvent models, the results showed that SMD is the optimal model for calculating the strength and stability of CAHBs by DFT, and the strength and stability of CAHBs formed between PCs and carbonaceous materials in this study were in the order of homonuclear [O⋯H⋯O]- CAHB > heteronuclear [O⋯HN]-/[N⋯HO]+ type of CAHB > homonuclear [N⋯H⋯N]+. Also, the co-sorption behavior of different PCs co-existing in binary systems further confirmed that, all above types of CAHBs formed between PCs and carbonaceous materials can produce obvious competition effect on the co-existing PCs that only OHB formed between them. This study not only reveals the environmental behavior of co-existing PCs, but also provides a theoretical basis for the design of obligate sorption materials for PCs in the natural environment.

Improved Measurements of Muonic Helium Ground-State Hyperfine Structure at a Near-Zero Magnetic Field

Muonic helium atom hyperfine structure (HFS) measurements are a sensitive tool to test the three-body atomic system and bound-state quantum electrodynamics theory, and determine fundamental constants of the negative muon magnetic moment and mass. The world's most intense pulsed negative muon beam at the Muon Science Facility of the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex allows improvement of previous measurements and testing further CPT invariance by comparing the magnetic moments and masses of positive and negative muons (second-generation leptons). We report new ground-state HFS measurements of muonic helium-4 atoms at a near-zero magnetic field, performed for the first time using a small admixture of CH_{4} as an electron donor to form neutral muonic helium atoms efficiently. Our analysis gives Δν=4464.980(20)  MHz (4.5 ppm), which is more precise than both previous measurements at weak and high fields. The muonium ground-state HFS was also measured under the same conditions to investigate the isotopic effect on the frequency shift due to the gas density dependence in He with CH_{4} admixture and compared with previous studies. Muonium and muonic helium can be regarded as light and heavy hydrogen isotopes with an isotopic mass ratio of 36. No isotopic effect was observed within the current experimental precision.

Collinear Laser Spectroscopy of 2 ^{3}S_{1}→2 ^{3}P_{J} Transitions in Helium-like ^{12}C^{4+}

Transition frequencies and fine-structure splittings of the 2 ^{3}S_{1}→2 ^{3}P_{J} transitions in helium-like ^{12}C^{4+} were measured by collinear laser spectroscopy on a 1-ppb level. Accuracy is increased by more than 3 orders of magnitude with respect to previous measurements, enabling tests of recent nonrelativistic (NR) QED calculations including terms up to mα^{7}. Deviations between the theoretical and experimental values are within theoretical uncertainties and are ascribed to mα^{8} and higher-order contributions in the series expansion of the NR QED calculations. Finally, prospects for an all-optical charge radius determination of light isotopes are evaluated.

Directly Bound Deuterons Increase X-Nuclei Hyperpolarization using Dynamic Nuclear Polarization

Deuterated 13 C sites in sugars (D-glucose and 2-deoxy-D-glucose) showed 6.3-to-17.5-fold higher solid-state dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) levels than their respective protonated sites at 3.35T. This effect was found to be unrelated to the protonation of the bath. Deuterated 15 N in sites bound to exchangeable protons ([15 N2 ]urea) showed a 1.3-fold higher polarization than their respective protonated sites at the same magnetic field. This relatively smaller effect was attributed to incomplete deuteration of the 15 N sites due to the solvent mixture. For a 15 N site that is not bound to protons or deuterons ([15 N]nitrate), deuteration of the bath did not affect the polarization level. These findings suggest a phenomenon related to DNP of X-nuclei directly bound to deuteron(s) as opposed to proton(s). It appears that direct binding to deuterons increases the solid-state DNP polarization level of X-nuclei which are otherwise bound to protons.

Injection-seeded high-power Yb:YAG thin-disk laser stabilized by the Pound-Drever-Hall method

We demonstrate an injection-seeded thin-disk Yb:YAG laser at 1030 nm, stabilized by the Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) method. We modified the PDH scheme to obtain an error signal free from Trojan locking points, which allowed robust re-locking of the laser and reliable long-term operation. The single-frequency pulses have 50 mJ energy (limited to avoid laser-induced damage) with a beam quality of M2 < 1.1 and an adjustable length of 55-110 ns. Heterodyne measurements confirmed a spectral linewidth of 3.7 MHz. The short pulse build-up time (850 ns) makes this laser suitable for laser spectroscopy of muonic hydrogen, pursued by the CREMA collaboration.

Searching for Ultralight Scalar Dark Matter with Muonium and Muonic Atoms

Ultralight scalar dark matter may induce apparent oscillations of the muon mass, which may be directly probed via temporal shifts in the spectra of muonium and muonic atoms. Existing datasets and ongoing spectroscopy measurements with muonium are capable of probing scalar-muon interactions that are up to 12 orders of magnitude more stringent than astrophysical bounds. Ongoing free-fall experiments with muonium can probe forces associated with the exchange of virtual ultralight scalar bosons between muons and standard-model particles, offering up to 5 orders of magnitude improvement in sensitivity over complementary laboratory and astrophysical bounds.

Proof-of-Principle Experiment for Testing Strong-Field Quantum Electrodynamics with Exotic Atoms: High Precision X-Ray Spectroscopy of Muonic Neon

To test bound-state quantum electrodynamics (BSQED) in the strong-field regime, we have performed high precision x-ray spectroscopy of the 5g-4f and 5f- 4d transitions (BSQED contribution of 2.4 and 5.2 eV, respectively) of muonic neon atoms in the low-pressure gas phase without bound electrons. Muonic atoms have been recently proposed as an alternative to few-electron high-Z ions for BSQED tests by focusing on circular Rydberg states where nuclear contributions are negligibly small. We determined the 5g_{9/2}- 4f_{7/2} transition energy to be 6297.08±0.04(stat)±0.13(syst)  eV using superconducting transition-edge sensor microcalorimeters (5.2-5.5 eV FWHM resolution), which agrees well with the most advanced BSQED theoretical prediction of 6297.26 eV.

Collinear Laser Spectroscopy of Helium-like 11B3+

Collinear laser spectroscopy in the 1s2s3S1→1s2p3P0,2 transitions of helium-like 11B3+ was performed using the HITRAP beamline at the GSI Helmholtz Centre. The ions were produced in an electron beam ion source, extracted, and accelerated to a beam energy of 4 keV/q. Results agree with previous measurements within uncertainty. Thus, it was demonstrated that the metastable state in He-like ions is sufficiently populated to carry out collinear laser spectroscopy. The measurement is a pilot experiment for a series of measurements that will be performed at a dedicated collinear laser spectroscopy setup at TU Darmstadt with light helium-like ions.

Two-photon exchange in (muonic) deuterium at N3LO in pionless effective field theory

We present a study of the two-photon-exchange (2 γ -exchange) corrections to the S-levels in muonic ( μ D) and ordinary (D) deuterium within the pionless effective field theory (EFT). Our calculation proceeds up to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N3LO) in the EFT expansion. The only unknown low-energy constant entering the calculation at this order corresponds to the coupling of a longitudinal photon to the nucleon-nucleon system. To minimise its correlation with the deuteron charge radius, it is extracted using the information about the hydrogen-deuterium isotope shift. We find the elastic 2 γ -exchange contribution in μ D larger by several standard deviations than obtained in other recent calculations. This discrepancy ameliorates the mismatch between theory and experiment on the size of 2 γ -exchange effects, and is attributed to the properties of the deuteron elastic charge form factor parametrisation used to evaluate the elastic contribution. We identify a correlation between the deuteron charge and Friar radii, which can help one to judge how well a form factor parametrisation describes the low-virtuality properties of the deuteron. We also evaluate the higher-order 2 γ -exchange contributions in μ D, generated by the single-nucleon structure and expected to be the most important terms beyond N3LO. The uncertainty of the theoretical result is dominated by the truncation of the EFT series and is quantified using a Bayesian approach. The resulting extractions of the deuteron charge radius from the μ D Lamb shift, the 2 S - 1 S transition in D, and the 2 S - 1 S hydrogen-deuterium isotope shift, with the respective 2 γ -exchange effects evaluated in a unified EFT approach, are in perfect agreement.

The scope and scale of the life sciences (‘Nature’s envelope’)

The extension of biology with a more data-centric component offers new opportunities for discovery. To enable investigations that rely on third-party data, the infrastructure that retains data and allows their re-use should, arguably, enable transactions that relate to any and all biological processes. The assembly of such a service-oriented and enabling infrastructure is challenging. Part of the challenge is to factor in the scope and scale of biological processes. From this foundation can emerge an estimate of the number of discipline-specific centres which will gather data in their given area of interest and prepare them for a path that will lead to trusted, persistent data repositories which will make fit-for-purpose data available for re-use. A simple model is presented for the scope and scale of life sciences. It can accommodate all known processes conducted by or caused by any and all organisms. It is depicted on a grid, the axes of which are (x) the durations of the processes and (y) the sizes of participants involved. Both axes are presented in log10 scales, and the grid is divided into decadal blocks with ten fold increments of time and size. Processes range in duration from 10-17 seconds to 3.5 billion years or more, and the sizes of participants range from 10-15 to 1.3 107 metres. Examples are given to illustrate the diversity of biological processes and their often inexact character. About half of the blocks within the grid do not contain known processes. The blocks that include biological processes amount to ‘Nature’s envelope’, a valuable rhetorical device onto which subdisciplines and existing initiatives may be mapped, and from which can be derived some key requirements for a comprehensive data infrastructure.

Direct Spectroscopic Evidence for Charge-Assisted Hydrogen-Bond Formation between Ionizable Organic Chemicals and Carbonaceous Materials

The direct evidence for the formation of charge-assisted hydrogen bond (CAHB) between the charged groups of ionizable organic chemicals (IOCs) and carbonaceous materials with similar proton affinity remains elusive. We therefore selected three pharmaceutical contaminants (PCs) as representative IOCs to provide the direct evidence of CAHB formation between IOCs and functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and its intensity/contribution to PC sorption on CNTs by NMR, FTIR, and DFT analyses. Sorption of PCs on functionalized CNTs resulted in the FTIR characteristic peak that appeared at a higher frequency (3787 cm^-1) and the ¹H NMR characteristic peak that emerged at an extremely low-field region (<18.0 ppm), which can be used as the direct spectroscopic evidence for CAHB formation. Both homonuclear CAHB (HM-CAHB, e.g., [O-H···O]^-) and heteronuclear CAHB (HT-CAHB, e.g., [N⁺-H···O^-]/[O-H···N]⁺) exhibited a much higher sorption energy (|E_ads| ≥ 56.24 kJ/mol) than ordinary hydrogen bond (OHB, |E_ads| ≤ 6.136 kJ/mol), leading to a greater sorption contribution (HM-/HT-CAHB ≥ 42.3%, OHB ≤ 36.5%) and irreversibility (hysteresis index: HM-/HT-CAHB ≥ 1.69, OHB ≤ 0.43) of PCs on CNTs. This work presents the direct evidence for CAHB formation between IOCs and CNTs, which is significant for understanding and predicting the environmental fate and risk of IOCs, thus providing new insights for controlling their pollution using specifically designed carbonaceous materials.

Measurement of the bound-electron g-factor difference in coupled ions

Quantum electrodynamics (QED) is one of the most fundamental theories of physics and has been shown to be in excellent agreement with experimental results1-5. In particular, measurements of the electron's magnetic moment (or g factor) of highly charged ions in Penning traps provide a stringent probe for QED, which allows testing of the standard model in the strongest electromagnetic fields6. When studying the differences between isotopes, many common QED contributions cancel owing to the identical electron configuration, making it possible to resolve the intricate effects stemming from the nuclear differences. Experimentally, however, this quickly becomes limited, particularly by the precision of the ion masses or the magnetic field stability7. Here we report on a measurement technique that overcomes these limitations by co-trapping two highly charged ions and measuring the difference in their g factors directly. We apply a dual Ramsey-type measurement scheme with the ions locked on a common magnetron orbit8, separated by only a few hundred micrometres, to coherently extract the spin precession frequency difference. We have measured the isotopic shift of the bound-electron g factor of the isotopes 20Ne9+ and 22Ne9+ to 0.56-parts-per-trillion (5.6 × 10-13) precision relative to their g factors, an improvement of about two orders of magnitude compared with state-of-the-art techniques7. This resolves the QED contribution to the nuclear recoil, accurately validates the corresponding theory and offers an alternative approach to set constraints on new physics.

Measurement of a helium tune-out frequency: an independent test of quantum electrodynamics

Despite quantum electrodynamics (QED) being one of the most stringently tested theories underpinning modern physics, recent precision atomic spectroscopy measurements have uncovered several small discrepancies between experiment and theory. One particularly powerful experimental observable that tests QED independently of traditional energy level measurements is the "tune-out" frequency, where the dynamic polarizability vanishes and the atom does not interact with applied laser light. In this work, we measure the tune-out frequency for the 2³S₁ state of helium between transitions to the 2³P and 3³P manifolds and compare it with new theoretical QED calculations. The experimentally determined value of 725,736,700(260) megahertz differs from theory [725,736,252(9) megahertz] by 1.7 times the measurement uncertainty and resolves both the QED contributions and retardation corrections.

CODATA Recommended Values of the Fundamental Physical Constants: 2018

We report the 2018 self-consistent values of constants and conversion factors of physics and chemistry recommended by the Committee on Data of the International Science Council. The recommended values can also be found at physics.nist.gov/constants. The values are based on a least-squares adjustment that takes into account all theoretical and experimental data available through 31 December 2018. A discussion of the major improvements as well as inconsistencies within the data is given. The former include a decrease in the uncertainty of the dimensionless fine-structure constant and a nearly two orders of magnitude improvement of particle masses expressed in units of kg due to the transition to the revised International System of Units (SI) with an exact value for the Planck constant. Further, because the elementary charge, Boltzmann constant, and Avogadro constant also have exact values in the revised SI, many other constants are either exact or have significantly reduced uncertainties. Inconsistencies remain for the gravitational constant and the muon magnetic-moment anomaly. The proton charge radius puzzle has been partially resolved by improved measurements of hydrogen energy levels.

Fresh Extraction of the Proton Charge Radius from Electron Scattering

We present a novel method for extracting the proton radius from elastic electron-proton (ep) scattering data. The approach is based on interpolation via continued fractions augmented by statistical sampling and avoids any assumptions on the form of function used for the representation of data and subsequent extrapolation onto Q^{2}≃0. Applying the method to extant modern ep datasets, we find that all results are mutually consistent and, combining them, we arrive at r_{p}=0.847(8)  fm. This result compares favorably with values obtained from contemporary measurements of the Lamb shift in muonic hydrogen, transitions in electronic hydrogen, and muonic deuterium spectroscopy.

Deexcitation Dynamics of Muonic Atoms Revealed by High-Precision Spectroscopy of Electronic K X Rays

We observed electronic K x rays emitted from muonic iron atoms using superconducting transition-edge sensor microcalorimeters. The energy resolution of 5.2 eV in FWHM allowed us to observe the asymmetric broad profile of the electronic characteristic Kα and Kβ x rays together with the hypersatellite K^{h}α x rays around 6 keV. This signature reflects the time-dependent screening of the nuclear charge by the negative muon and the L-shell electrons, accompanied by electron side feeding. Assisted by a simulation, these data clearly reveal the electronic K- and L-shell hole production and their temporal evolution on the 10-20 fs scale during the muon cascade process.

Testing Quantum Electrodynamics with Exotic Atoms

Precision study of few-electron, high-Z ions is a privileged field for probing high-field, bound-state quantum electrodynamics (BSQED). However, the accuracy of such tests is plagued by nuclear uncertainties, which are often larger than the BSQED effects under investigation. We propose an alternative method with exotic atoms and show that transitions may be found between circular Rydberg states where nuclear contributions are vanishing while BSQED effects remain large. When probed with newly available quantum sensing detectors, these systems offer gains in sensitivity of 1 to 2 orders of magnitude, while the mean electric field largely exceeds the Schwinger limit.

CODATA recommended values of the fundamental physical constants: 2018

We report the 2018 self-consistent values of constants and conversion factors of physics and chemistry recommended by the Committee on Data of the International Science Council (CODATA). The recommended values can also be found at physics.nist.gov/constants. The values are based on a least-squares adjustment that takes into account all theoretical and experimental data available through 31 December 2018. A discussion of the major improvements as well as inconsistencies within the data is given. The former include a decrease in the uncertainty of the dimensionless fine-structure constant and a nearly two orders of magnitude improvement of particle masses expressed in units of kg due to the transition to the revised International System of Units (SI) with an exact value for the Planck constant. Further, because the elementary charge, Boltzmann constant, and Avogadro constant also have exact values in the revised SI, many other constants are either exact or have significantly reduced uncertainties. Inconsistencies remain for the gravitational constant and the muon magnetic-moment anomaly. The proton charge radius puzzle has been partially resolved by improved measurements of hydrogen energy levels.

Improved active fiber-based retroreflector with intensity stabilization and a polarization monitor for the near UV

We present an improved active fiber-based retroreflector (AFR) providing high-quality wavefront-retracing anti-parallel laser beams in the near UV. We use our improved AFR for first-order Doppler-shift suppression in precision spectroscopy of atomic hydrogen, but our setup can be adapted to other applications where wavefront-retracing beams with defined laser polarization are important. We demonstrate how weak aberrations produced by the fiber collimator may remain unobserved in the intensity of the collimated beam but limit the performance of the AFR. Our general results on characterizing these aberrations with a caustic measurement can be applied to any system where a collimated high-quality laser beam is required. Extending the collimator design process by wave optics propagation tools, we achieved a four-lens collimator for the wavelength range 380-486 nm with the beam quality factor of M² ≃ 1.02, limited only by the not exactly Gaussian beam profile from the single-mode fiber. Furthermore, we implemented precise fiber-collimator alignment and improved the collimation control by combining a precision motor with a piezo actuator. Moreover, we stabilized the intensity of the wavefront-retracing beams and added in-situ monitoring of polarization from polarimetry of the retroreflected light.

Measuring the α-particle charge radius with muonic helium-4 ions

The energy levels of hydrogen-like atomic systems can be calculated with great precision. Starting from their quantum mechanical solution, they have been refined over the years to include the electron spin, the relativistic and quantum field effects, and tiny energy shifts related to the complex structure of the nucleus. These energy shifts caused by the nuclear structure are vastly magnified in hydrogen-like systems formed by a negative muon and a nucleus, so spectroscopy of these muonic ions can be used to investigate the nuclear structure with high precision. Here we present the measurement of two 2S-2P transitions in the muonic helium-4 ion that yields a precise determination of the root-mean-square charge radius of the α particle of 1.67824(83) femtometres. This determination from atomic spectroscopy is in excellent agreement with the value from electron scattering¹, but a factor of 4.8 more precise, providing a benchmark for few-nucleon theories, lattice quantum chromodynamics and electron scattering. This agreement also constrains several beyond-standard-model theories proposed to explain the proton-radius puzzle^2-5, in line with recent determinations of the proton charge radius^6-9, and establishes spectroscopy of light muonic atoms and ions as a precise tool for studies of nuclear properties.

Hyperfine Structure of the First Rotational Level in H_{2}, D_{2} and HD Molecules and the Deuteron Quadrupole Moment

We perform the four-body calculation of the hyperfine structure in the first rotational state J=1 of the H_{2}, D_{2}, and HD molecules and determine the accurate value for the deuteron electric quadrupole moment Q_{d}=0.285 699(15)(18)  fm^{2} in significant disagreement with former spectroscopic determinations. Our results for the hyperfine parameters agree very well with the currently most accurate molecular-beam magnetic resonance measurement performed several decades ago by N.F. Ramsey and coworkers. They also indicate the significance of previously neglected nonadiabatic effects. Moreover, a very good agreement with the recent calculation of Q_{d} based on the chiral effective field theory, although much less accurate, indicates the importance of the spin dependence of nucleon interactions in the accurate description of nuclei.

High-precision molecular measurement

Spectroscopy of hydrogen deuteride ions provides the proton-to-electron mass ratio

Proton-electron mass ratio from laser spectroscopy of HD+ at the part-per-trillion level

Recent mass measurements of light atomic nuclei in Penning traps have indicated possible inconsistencies in closely related physical constants such as the proton-electron and deuteron-proton mass ratios. These quantities also influence the predicted vibrational spectrum of the deuterated molecular hydrogen ion (HD+) in its electronic ground state. We used Doppler-free two-photon laser spectroscopy to measure the frequency of the v = 0→9 overtone transition (v, vibrational quantum number) of this spectrum with an uncertainty of 2.9 parts per trillion. By leveraging high-precision ab initio calculations, we converted our measurement to tight constraints on the proton-electron and deuteron-proton mass ratios, consistent with the most recent Penning trap determinations of these quantities. This results in a precision of 21 parts per trillion for the value of the proton-electron mass ratio.

Extraction of the Neutron Charge Radius from a Precision Calculation of the Deuteron Structure Radius

We present a high-accuracy calculation of the deuteron structure radius in chiral effective field theory. Our analysis employs the state-of-the-art semilocal two-nucleon potentials and takes into account two-body contributions to the charge density operators up to fifth order in the chiral expansion. The strength of the fifth-order short-range two-body contribution to the charge density operator is adjusted to the experimental data on the deuteron charge form factor. A detailed error analysis is performed by propagating the statistical uncertainties of the low-energy constants entering the two-nucleon potentials and by estimating errors from the truncation of the chiral expansion as well as from uncertainties in the nucleon form factors. Using the predicted value for the deuteron structure radius together with the very accurate atomic data for the difference of the deuteron and proton charge radii we, for the first time, extract the charge radius of the neutron from light nuclei. The extracted value reads r_{n}^{2}=-0.106_{-0.005}^{+0.007}  fm^{2} and its magnitude is about 1.7σ smaller than the current value given by the Particle Data Group. In addition, given the high accuracy of the calculated deuteron charge form factor and its careful and systematic error analysis, our results open the way for an accurate determination of the nucleon form factors from elastic electron-deuteron scattering data measured at the Mainz Microtron and other experimental facilities.

ISR Experiment at A1-Collaboration

The discrepancy between the proton charge radius extracted from the muonic hydrogen Lamb shift measurement and the best present value obtained from the elastic scattering experiments, remains unexplained and represents a burning problem of today’s nuclear physics. In a pursuit of reconciling the puzzle an experiment is underway at MAMI, which exploits the radiative tail of the elastic peak to study the properties of electromagnetic processes and to extract the proton charge form factor $ \left( {\mathop G\nolimits_E^p } \right) $ at extremely small Q2. This paper reports on the latest results of the first such measurement performed at the three-spectrometer facility of the A1-Collaboration, which led to a precise validation of radiative corrections far away from elastic line and provided measurements of $ \mathop G\nolimits_E^p $ for 0.001 ≤ Q2 ≤ 0.017 (GeV/c)2.

High-Precision Ramsey-Comb Spectroscopy Based on High-Harmonic Generation

High-harmonic generation (HHG) is widely used for up-conversion of amplified (near) infrared ultrafast laser pulses to short wavelengths. We demonstrate that Ramsey-comb spectroscopy, based on two such pulses derived from a frequency-comb laser, enables us to observe phase effects in this process with a few mrad precision. As a result, we could perform the most accurate spectroscopic measurement based on light from HHG, illustrated with a determination of the 5p^{6}→5p^{5}8s^{2}[3/2]_{1} transition at 110 nm in ^{132}Xe. We improve its relative accuracy 10^{4} times to a value of 2.3×10^{-10}. This is 3.6 times better than shown before involving HHG, and promising to enable 1S-2S spectroscopy of He^{+} for fundamental tests.

Nuclear Charge Radii of ^{10,11}B

The first laser spectroscopic determination of the change in the nuclear charge radius for a five-electron system is reported. This is achieved by combining high-accuracy ab initio mass-shift calculations and a high-accuracy measurement of the isotope shift in the 2s^{2}2p  ^{2}P_{1/2}→2s^{2}3s  ^{2}S_{1/2} ground state transition in boron atoms. Accuracy is increased by orders of magnitude for the stable isotopes ^{10,11}B and the results are used to extract their difference in the mean-square charge radius ⟨r_{c}^{2}⟩^{11}-⟨r_{c}^{2}⟩^{10}=-0.49(12)  fm^{2}. The result is qualitatively explained by a possible cluster structure of the boron nuclei and quantitatively used to benchmark new ab initio nuclear structure calculations using the no-core shell model and Green's function Monte Carlo approaches. These results are the foundation for a laser spectroscopic determination of the charge radius of the proton-halo candidate ^{8}B.

Energy spectra of muonic atoms in quantum electrodynamics

Vacuum polarization, nuclear structure and recoil, radiative corrections to the hyperfine structure of S-states in muonic ions of lithium, beryllium and boron are calculated on the basis of quasipotential method in quantum electrodynamics. We consider contributions in first and second orders of perturbation theory which have the order α5 and α6 in the energy spectrum. Total values of hyperfine splittings are obtained which can be used for a comparison with future experimental data.

Nonadiabatic Relativistic Correction to the Dissociation Energy of H_{2}, D_{2}, and HD

The relativistic correction to the dissociation energy of H_{2}, D_{2}, and HD molecules has been accurately calculated without expansion in the small electron-nucleus mass ratio. The obtained results indicate the significance of nonadiabatic effects and resolve the discrepancy of theoretical predictions with recent experimental values for H_{2} and D_{2}. While the theoretical accuracy is now significantly improved and is higher than the experimental one, we observe about 3σ discrepancy for the dissociation energy of HD, which requires further investigation.

Probing Long-Range Neutrino-Mediated Forces with Atomic and Nuclear Spectroscopy

The exchange of a pair of low-mass neutrinos between electrons, protons, and neutrons produces a "long-range" 1/r^{5} potential, which can be sought for in phenomena originating on the atomic and subatomic length scales. We calculate the effects of neutrino-pair exchange on transition and binding energies in atoms and nuclei. In the case of atomic s-wave states, there is a large enhancement of the induced energy shifts due to the lack of a centrifugal barrier and the highly singular nature of the neutrino-mediated potential. We derive limits on neutrino-mediated forces from measurements of the deuteron binding energy and transition energies in positronium, muonium, hydrogen, and deuterium, as well as isotope-shift measurements in calcium ions. Our limits improve on existing constraints on neutrino-mediated forces from experiments that search for new macroscopic forces by 18 orders of magnitude. Future spectroscopy experiments have the potential to probe long-range forces mediated by the exchange of pairs of standard-model neutrinos and other weakly charged particles.

Relativistic and QED Effects in the Fundamental Vibration of T_{2}

The hydrogen molecule has become a test ground for quantum electrodynamical calculations in molecules. Expanding beyond studies on stable hydrogenic species to the heavier radioactive tritium-bearing molecules, we report on a measurement of the fundamental T_{2} vibrational splitting (v=0→1) for J=0-5 rotational levels. Precision frequency metrology is performed with high-resolution coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy at an experimental uncertainty of 10-12 MHz, where sub-Doppler saturation features are exploited for the strongest transition. The achieved accuracy corresponds to a 50-fold improvement over a previous measurement, and it allows for the extraction of relativistic and QED contributions to T_{2} transition energies.

Deep-Ultraviolet Frequency Metrology of H_{2} for Tests of Molecular Quantum Theory

Molecular hydrogen and its isotopic and ionic species are benchmark systems for testing quantum chemical theory. Advances in molecular energy structure calculations enable the experimental verification of quantum electrodynamics and potentially a determination of the proton charge radius from H_{2} spectroscopy. We measure the ground state energy in ortho-H_{2} relative to the first electronically excited state by Ramsey-comb laser spectroscopy on the EF^{1}Σ_{g}^{+}-X^{1}Σ_{g}^{+}(0,0) Q1 transition. The resulting transition frequency of 2 971 234 992 965(73) kHz is 2 orders of magnitude more accurate than previous measurements. This paves the way for a considerably improved determination of the dissociation energy (D_{0}) for fundamental tests with molecular hydrogen.

Determination of the Spin-Rotation Fine Structure of He_{2}^{+}

Measuring spin-rotation intervals in molecular cations is challenging, particularly so when the ions do not have electric-dipole-allowed rovibrational transitions. We present a method, based on an angular-momentum basis transformation, to determine the spin-rotational fine structure of molecular ions from the fine structure of high Rydberg states. The method is illustrated by the determination of the so far unknown spin-rotation fine structure of the fundamentally important He_{2}^{+} ion in the X ^{2}Σ_{u}^{+} state. The fine-structure splittings of the v^{+}=0, N^{+}=1, 3, and 5 levels of He_{2}^{+} are 7.96(14), 17.91(32), and 28.0(6) MHz, respectively. The experiment relies on the use of single-mode cw radiation to record spectra of high Rydberg states of He_{2} from the a ^{3}Σ_{u}^{+} metastable state.

Predicting and Discovering True Muonium (μ+μ−)

The recent observation of discrepancies in the muonic sector motivates searches for the yet undiscovered atom true muonium (μ+μ−). To leverage potential experimental signals, precise theoretical calculations are required. I will present the on-going work to compute higher-order corrections to the hyperfine splitting and the Lamb shift. Further, possible detection in rare meson decay experiments like REDTOP and using true muonium production to constrain mesonic form factors will be discussed.

The proton size puzzle: experiment vs theory

Current status of the proton size puzzle from experimental and theoretical points of view is briefly discussed. The interest to these studies is primarily related to experiments conducted by the CREMA collaboration (Charge Radius Experi- ments with Muonic Atoms) with muonic hydrogen and deuterium by methods of laser spectroscopy. As a result a more accurate value of the proton charge radius was found to be rp = 0:84184(67) fm, which is different from the value recommended by CODATA for 7σ. In the second part we discuss recent calculations of the contribution of light pseudoscalar (PS) and axial-vector (AV) mesons to the interaction operator of a muon and a proton in muonic hydrogen atom, with the coupling of mesons to the muon being via two-photon intermediate state. Numerical estimates of the contributions to the hyperfine structure of the spectrum of the S and P levels are presented. It is shown that such contribution to the hyperfine splitting in muonic hydrogen is rather important for a comparison with precise experimental data.

Antihydrogen accumulation for fundamental symmetry tests

Antihydrogen, a positron bound to an antiproton, is the simplest anti-atom. Its structure and properties are expected to mirror those of the hydrogen atom. Prospects for precision comparisons of the two, as tests of fundamental symmetries, are driving a vibrant programme of research. In this regard, a limiting factor in most experiments is the availability of large numbers of cold ground state antihydrogen atoms. Here, we describe how an improved synthesis process results in a maximum rate of 10.5 ± 0.6 atoms trapped and detected per cycle, corresponding to more than an order of magnitude improvement over previous work. Additionally, we demonstrate how detailed control of electron, positron and antiproton plasmas enables repeated formation and trapping of antihydrogen atoms, with the simultaneous retention of atoms produced in previous cycles. We report a record of 54 detected annihilation events from a single release of the trapped anti-atoms accumulated from five consecutive cycles.

Antihydrogen studies are important in testing the fundamental principles of physics but producing antihydrogen in large amounts is challenging. Here the authors demonstrate an efficient and high-precision method for trapping and stacking antihydrogen by using controlled plasma.

High precision hyperfine measurements in Bismuth challenge bound-state strong-field QED

Electrons bound in highly charged heavy ions such as hydrogen-like bismuth ²⁰⁹Bi⁸²⁺ experience electromagnetic fields that are a million times stronger than in light atoms. Measuring the wavelength of light emitted and absorbed by these ions is therefore a sensitive testing ground for quantum electrodynamical (QED) effects and especially the electron–nucleus interaction under such extreme conditions. However, insufficient knowledge of the nuclear structure has prevented a rigorous test of strong-field QED. Here we present a measurement of the so-called specific difference between the hyperfine splittings in hydrogen-like and lithium-like bismuth ²⁰⁹Bi^82+,80+ with a precision that is improved by more than an order of magnitude. Even though this quantity is believed to be largely insensitive to nuclear structure and therefore the most decisive test of QED in the strong magnetic field regime, we find a 7-σ discrepancy compared with the theoretical prediction.

Precision measurements provide a sensitive test of fundamental constants and their uncertainties. Here the authors precisely measure the hyperfine structure splitting in bismuth ions, and report significant discrepancy with the theoretical prediction of quantum electrodynamics.

Virtual Resonant Emission and Oscillatory Long-Range Tails in van der Waals Interactions of Excited States: QED Treatment and Applications

We report on a quantum electrodynamic (QED) investigation of the interaction between a ground state atom with another atom in an excited state. General expressions, applicable to any atom, are indicated for the long-range tails that are due to virtual resonant emission and absorption into and from vacuum modes whose frequency equals the transition frequency to available lower-lying atomic states. For identical atoms, one of which is in an excited state, we also discuss the mixing term that depends on the symmetry of the two-atom wave function (these evolve into either the gerade or the ungerade state for close approach), and we include all nonresonant states in our rigorous QED treatment. In order to illustrate the findings, we analyze the fine-structure resolved van der Waals interaction for nD-1S hydrogen interactions with n=8, 10, 12 and find surprisingly large numerical coefficients.

Complete α^{6} m Corrections to the Ground State of H_{2}

We perform the calculation of all relativistic and quantum electrodynamic corrections of the order of α^{6} m to the ground electronic state of a hydrogen molecule and present improved results for the dissociation and the fundamental transition energies. These results open the window for the high-precision spectroscopy of H_{2} and related low-energy tests of fundamental interactions.