Erlangen 2018 – scientific programme
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A: Fachverband Atomphysik
A 21: Precision Spectroscopy IV - highly charged ions (joint session A/Q)
A 21.3: Talk
Tuesday, March 6, 2018, 14:45–15:00, K 1.016
Identifications of optical transitions in highly charged ions for metrology and searches of variation of the fine-structure constant — •Hendrik Bekker1, Julian Berengut2, Anastasia Borschevsky3, Nicky Potters1, Julian Rauch1, Alexander Windberger1, and José R. Crespo López-Urrutia1 — 1Max-Planck-Insitüt für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg — 2School of Physics, The University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052 — 3Van Swinderen Institute, Universiteit Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen
Compared to the neutral and singly charged ions that are used in current optical clocks, level-shifts due to external perturbations are greatly suppressed in highly charged ions (HCI). Furthermore, increased relativistic effects in HCI lead to a strong sensitivity to variation of the fine-structure constant α. Many HCI are predicted to have optical transitions suitable for laser spectroscopy due to level crossings. However, for these HCI, theory is not capable of predicting the energy level structures to the required precision. To address this issue, we investigated several of the proposed HCI, which we produced, trapped, and collisionally excited in the Heidelberg electron beam ion trap (HD-EBIT). The wavelengths of subsequent fluorescence light were determined at the ppm-level using a grating spectrometer. We present our latest results for Ir16+, 17+, 18+ and Pr9+, 10+ which are used to benchmark state-of-the-art atomic theory calculations and to provide a deeper insight into the suitability of the proposed HCI for metrology purposes. This is a necessary step towards future laser spectroscopy.