R. Sánchez

Nuclear Charge Radii of 9,11Li: The Influence of Halo Neutrons

The nuclear charge radius of 11Li has been determined for the first time by high-precision laser spectroscopy. On-line measurements at TRIUMF-ISAC yielded a 7Li-11Li isotope shift (IS) of 25 101.23(13) MHz for the Doppler-free [FORMULA: SEE TEXT]transition. IS accuracy for all other bound Li isotopes was also improved. Differences from calculated mass-based IS yield values for change in charge radius along the isotope chain. The charge radius decreases monotonically from 6Li to 9Li, and then increases from 2.217(35) to 2.467(37) fm for 11Li. This is compared to various models, and it is found that a combination of halo neutron correlation and intrinsic core excitation best reproduces the experimental results.

Isotope Shift Measurements of Stable and Short-Lived Lithium Isotopes for Nuclear Charge Radii Determination

Changes in the mean square nuclear charge radii along the lithium isotopic chain were determined using a combination of precise isotope shift measurements and theoretical atomic structure calculations. Nuclear charge radii of light elements are of high interest due to the appearance of the nuclear halo phenomenon in this region of the nuclear chart. During the past years we have developed a laser spectroscopic approach to determine the charge radii of lithium isotopes which combines high sensitivity, speed, and accuracy to measure the extremely small field shift of an 8-ms-lifetime isotope with production rates on the order of only 10 000 atoms/s. The method was applied to all bound isotopes of lithium including the two-neutron halo isotope {sup 11}Li at the on-line isotope separators at GSI, Darmstadt, Germany, and at TRIUMF, Vancouver, Canada. We describe the laser spectroscopic method in detail, present updated and improved values from theory and experiment, and discuss the results.

Nuclear Charge Radius of 12Be

The nuclear charge radius of (12)Be was precisely determined using the technique of collinear laser spectroscopy on the 2s(1/2)→2p(1/2,3/2) transition in the Be(+) ion. The mean square charge radius increases from (10)Be to (12)Be by δ(10,12)=0.69(5) fm(2) compared to δ(10,11)=0.49(5) fm(2) for the one-neutron halo isotope ^{11}Be. Calculations in the fermionic molecular dynamics approach show a strong sensitivity of the charge radius to the structure of ^{12}Be. The experimental charge radius is consistent with a breakdown of the N=8 shell closure.

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 209Bi82+,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.

A setup for high-resolution isotope shift measurements on unstable lithium isotopes

Abstract We present a laser spectroscopic approach for measuring the charge radius of the halo nucleus 11 Li and report on recent progress in the development of the experimental apparatus.

An improved value for the hyperfine splitting of hydrogen-like 209Bi82+

We report an improved measurement of the hyperfine splitting in hydrogen-like bismuth (209Bi82+) at the experimental storage ring ESR at GSI by laser spectroscopy on a coasting beam. Accuracy was improved by about an order of magnitude compared to the first observation in 1994. The most important improvement is an in situ high voltage measurement at the electron cooler (EC) platform with an accuracy at the 10 ppm level. Furthermore, the space charge effect of the EC current on the ion velocity was determined with two independent techniques that provided consistent results. The result of nm provides an important reference value for experiments testing bound-state quantum electrodynamics in the strong magnetic field regime by evaluating the specific difference between the splittings in the hydrogen-like and lithium-like ions.

First observation of the ground-state hyperfine transition in 209Bi80+

The long sought after ground-state hyperfine transition in lithium-like bismuth 209Bi80+ was observed for the first time using laser spectroscopy on relativistic ions in the experimental storage ring at the GSI Helmholtz Centre in Darmstadt. Combined with the transition in the corresponding hydrogen-like ion 209Bi82+, it will allow extraction of the specific difference between the two transitions that is unaffected by the magnetic moment distribution in the nucleus and can therefore provide a better test of bound-state QED in extremely strong magnetic fields.

Shell structure of potassium isotopes deduced from their magnetic moments

Background: Ground-state spins and magnetic moments are sensitive to the nuclear wave function, thus they are powerful probes to study the nuclear structure of isotopes far from stability. Purpose: Extend our knowledge about the evolution of the 1/2+ and 3/2+ states for K isotopes beyond the N=28 shell gap. Method: High-resolution collinear laser spectroscopy on bunched atomic beams. Results: From measured hyperfine structure spectra of K isotopes, nuclear spins, and magnetic moments of the ground states were obtained for isotopes from N=19 up to N=32. In order to draw conclusions about the composition of the wave functions and the occupation of the levels, the experimental data were compared to shell-model calculations using SDPF-NR and SDPF-U effective interactions. In addition, a detailed discussion about the evolution of the gap between proton 1d3/2 and 2s1/2 in the shell model and ab initio framework is also presented. Conclusions: The dominant component of the wave function for the odd-A isotopes up to K45 is a π1d3/2-1 hole. For K47,49, the main component originates from a π2s1/2-1 hole configuration and it inverts back to the π1d3/2-1 in K51. For all even-A isotopes, the dominant configuration arises from a π1d3/2-1 hole coupled to a neutron in the ν1f7/2 or ν2p3/2 orbitals. Only for K48, a significant amount of mixing with π2s1/2-1 - ν(pf) is observed leading to a Iπ=1- ground state. For K50, the ground-state spin-parity is 0- with leading configuration π1d3/2-1 - ν2p3/2-1.

Laser cooling of relativistic heavy-ion beams for FAIR

Laser cooling is a powerful technique to reduce the longitudinal momentum spread of stored relativistic ion beams. Based on successful experiments at the experimental storage ring at GSI in Darmstadt, of which we show some important results in this paper, we present our plans for laser cooling of relativistic ion beams in the future heavy-ion synchrotron SIS100 at the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research in Darmstadt.

Absolute frequency measurements on the 2S ! 3S transition of lithium-6,7

The frequencies of the 2S–3S two-photon transition for the stable lithium isotopes were measured by cavity-enhanced Doppler-free laser excitation that was controlled by a femtosecond frequency comb. The resulting values of 815 618 181.57(18) and 815 606 727.59(18) MHz, respectively, for 7Li and 6Li are in agreement with previous measurements but are more accurate by an order of magnitude. There is still a discrepancy of about 11.6 and 10.6 MHz from the latest theoretical values. This is comparable to the uncertainty in the theoretical calculations, while uncertainty in our experimental values is more than a hundred-fold smaller. More accurate theoretical calculation of the transition frequencies would allow extraction of the absolute charge radii for these stable isotopes, which in turn could improve nuclear charge radii values for the unstable lithium isotopes.