English

Revised $^3$He nuclear charge radius due to electronic hyperfine mixing

Atomic Physics 2025-04-23 v1

Abstract

The significant discrepancy in the difference of squared nuclear charge radii ΔR2\Delta R^2 of 3,4^{3,4}He obtained from electronic-atom or muonic-atom energy levels is a puzzle. In this paper, we show that the tension is resolved by including off-diagonal mixing effects due to the hyperfine interaction. Our findings indicate that the hyperfine mixing effect from the n3 ⁣Sn\,^3\!S and n1 ⁣Sn\,^1\!S states (n>2n>2) of 3^3He leads to a 1.37-1.37 kHz adjustment in the isotope shift of the 21 ⁣S23 ⁣S2\,^1\!S-2\,^3\!S transition, surpassing the current uncertainty by a factor of 77. This results in a change of 0.0064 fm2-0.0064~\rm{fm}^2 in ΔR2\Delta R^2, shifting from 1.0757(15) fm21.0757(15)~\mathrm{fm}^2 to 1.0693(15) fm21.0693(15)~\mathrm{fm}^2 as determined by Werf {\it et al.}, significantly reducing the discrepancy with the value of 1.0636(31) fm21.0636(31)~\mathrm{fm}^2 determined by μHe+\mu\rm{He}^+, and aligning with the result of 1.069(3)1.069(3) fm2\mathrm{fm}^2 obtained from the 23 ⁣S23 ⁣P2\,^3\!S-2\,^3\!P transition. This adjustment will result in a noticeable change in the absolute nuclear charge radius of 3^{3}He by 0.0017 fm-0.0017~\rm{fm}, aligning the revised value of 1.9715(11) fm1.9715(11)~\mathrm{fm} with the value of 1.97007(94) fm1.97007(94)~\mathrm{fm} determined by μ3He+\mu^3\rm{He}^+ within 1σ1\sigma. Our results offer crucial insights into resolving discrepancy in ΔR2\Delta R^2 for 3,4^{3,4}He and determining the charge radius of 3^3He.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2409.09279,
  title  = {Revised $^3$He nuclear charge radius due to electronic hyperfine mixing},
  author = {Xiao-Qiu Qi and Pei-Pei Zhang and Zong-Chao Yan and Li-Yan Tang and Ai-Xi Chen and Ting-Yun Shi and Zhen-Xiang Zhong},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2409.09279},
  year   = {2025}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-28T18:44:29.991Z