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Researchers from Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Technical University of Braunschweig, and the University of Delaware achieved new insight into the inner structure of the 173Yb+, and in particular its nucleus. This could advance research in areas such as atomic clocks, tests of fundamental physics, and quantum information processing. The results are published in the latest issue of the renown scientific journal Physical Review Letters.
Different atoms and ions possess characteristic energy levels – like a fingerprint they are unique for each species. Among them, the atomic ion 173Yb+ has attracted growing interest because of its particularly rich energy structure, which is promising for applications in quantum technologies and searches for so-called new physics. On the flip side, the complex structure that makes 173Yb+ interesting has long prevented detailed investigations of this ion.
Now, researchers from PTB, TU Braunschweig, and the University of Delaware took a closer look at the ion’s energy structure. To achieve this, they trapped a single 173Yb+ ion and developed methods for preparing and detecting its energy state despite the complicated energy structure. This enabled high-resolution laser and microwave spectroscopy.
In particular, the researchers investigated energy shifts arising from interactions between the nucleus and its surrounding electrons, also called hyperfine structure. Combined with first-principle theory calculations, the precise measurement results yielded new information about the ion’s nucleus.
Though the tiny atomic nucleus is often imagined as a charged, point-like particle, in reality it can have a complicated structure that is hard to investigate directly. Here, the electrons were used as a magnifying glass, allowing to investigate the structure of the nucleus indirectly. In particular, the combination of experiment and theory illuminates how the magnetic field of the nucleus is distributed across its volume. To achieve this, the researchers also performed comparison measurements with the 171Yb+ -isotope, which has a different nuclear structure but the same electron shell.
“Our measurements show that even very subtle properties of the atomic nucleus can be accessed through the surrounding electron cloud,” explains Dr. Jian Jang of PTB. “This not only leads to a better understanding of this particular nucleus, but also provides an important experimental foundation for using complex ions such as 173Yb+ for highly precise clocks and for tests of fundamental physics in the future.”
Image caption:
In a simplified picture, the electrons act as a magnifying glass, providing experimental access to the structure of the tiny atomic nucleus. Interactions between the electrons and the nucleus give rise to the so-called hyperfine structure, which was investigated using microwave radiation emitted from a horn antenna. The measurements reveal that the nuclear magnetization is distributed over a finite volume (right), in contrast to a simplified point-like model of the nucleus, which would produce a purely dipolar magnetic pattern (left).
Dr. Nils Huntemann, Head of Working Group 4.43 „Optical clocks with trapped ions“, Phone: +49 531 592-4430, E-mail: nils.huntemann@ptb.de
J. Jiang, A. V. Viatkina, Saaswath JK, M. Steinel, M. Filzinger, E. Peik, S. G. Porsev, M. S. Safronova, A. Surzyhkov, N. Huntemann: High-resolution spectroscopy of 173Yb+ ions, Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 023001 (2026), https://doi.org/10.1103/rcdh-s4d7
In a simplified picture, the electrons act as a magnifying glass, providing experimental access to t ...
Quelle: Jiang et al.
Copyright: Jiang et al.
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