English

Hole transitions in multiply-charged ions for precision laser spectroscopy and searching for alpha-variation

Atomic Physics 2011-07-21 v1

Abstract

We consider transitions of electron holes (vacancies in otherwise filled shells of atomic systems) in multiply-charged ions that, due to level-crossing of the holes, have frequencies within the range of optical atomic clocks. Strong E1 transitions provide new options for laser-cooling and trapping, while narrow transitions can be used for high-precision spectroscopy and tests of fundamental physics. We show that hole transitions can have extremely high sensitivity to alpha-variation due to large relativistic corrections, and propose candidate transitions that have much larger alpha-sensitivities than any previously seen in atomic systems.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1103.2823,
  title  = {Hole transitions in multiply-charged ions for precision laser spectroscopy and searching for alpha-variation},
  author = {J. C. Berengut and V. A. Dzuba and V. V. Flambaum and A. Ong},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1103.2823},
  year   = {2011}
}