Erlangen 2022 – scientific programme
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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 39: Precision spectroscopy of atoms and ions II (joint session A/Q)
Q 39.2: Talk
Wednesday, March 16, 2022, 14:15–14:30, A-H2
A new type of spectroscopy: Direct observation of hyperfine transitions with energy differences of 10 neV and below — •Chrysovalantis Kannis — Institut für Kernphysik, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany — III. Physikalisches Institut B, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Spectroscopy is a tool commonly used for the study of the energy levels of a sample. In most applications the sample is trapped, however this is not always feasible. An alternative type of spectroscopy includes a static external field and a moving sample. In particular, we use two opposed solenoidal coils which provide a static magnetic field with field direction reversal along the polarization axis. This produces a sinusoidal longitudinal (along the quantization axis) magnetic field component with a zero crossing between the coils. In addition to the longitudinal component, a radial component is also induced which is proportional to the gradient of the first and the distance from the center of the quantization axis.
For an atomic beam of metastable hydrogen with a kinetic energy of about 1 keV and a magnetic field configuration with a wavelength λ∼ 10 cm, the induced transitions correspond to an RF frequency f=v/λ in the MHz range. Equivalently, the energy difference between various levels is of the order of 10−8 eV and below. These can be found between hyperfine substates of hydrogen atoms at low magnetic fields in the Breit-Rabi diagram. Here we present first measurements, their interpretation, and possible applications.