Hyperfine splitting, isotope shift, and level energy of the 3S states of (6,7)Li

Absolute Frequency Measurement of ^{6}Li D Lines with khz-Level Uncertainty

We report the precision measurement of the absolute frequencies, hyperfine splitting, and 2P fine structure splitting in cold atoms of ^{6}Li. Using the stabilized optical frequency comb and developed heterodyne detection technique, the photon shot-noise limited optical spectroscopy is achieved. The measurement of absolute frequencies of D_{1} lines is reached with an uncertainty of about 1 kHz, which is 1 order of magnitude more accurate than previous measurements. The hyperfine splitting of the D_{1} line and 2P fine structure splitting of ^{6}Li are 26.103 1 (14) and 10 052.780 4 (18) MHz, respectively, in agreement with recent theoretical calculations. Our results could provide a benchmark to test the theory at the higher precision and help to resolve large discrepancies among previous experiments.

Simple, narrow, and robust atomic frequency reference at 993 nm exploiting the rubidium (Rb) 5S1/2 to 6S1/2 transition using one-color two-photon excitation

We experimentally demonstrate a one-color two-photon transition from the 5S_1/2 ground state to the 6S_1/2 excited state in rubidium (Rb) vapor using a continuous wave laser at 993 nm. The Rb vapor contains both isotopes (⁸⁵Rb and ⁸⁷Rb) in their natural abundances. The electric dipole-allowed transitions are characterized by varying the power and polarization of the excitation laser. Since the optical setup is relatively simple, and the energies of the allowed levels are impervious to stray magnetic fields, this is an attractive choice for a frequency reference at 993 nm, with possible applications in precision measurements and quantum information processing.

Precise measurement of hyperfine structure in the 3S1/2 state of 7Li

We report a precise measurement of hyperfine structure in the 3S_1/2 state of the odd isotope of Li, namely ⁷Li. The state is excited from the ground 2S_1/2 state (which has the same parity) using two single-photon transitions via the intermediate 2P_3/2 state. The value of the hyperfine constant we measure is A = 93.095(52) MHz, which resolves two discrepant values reported in the literature measured using other techniques. Our value is also consistent with theoretical calculations.

Absolute transition frequencies and quantum interference in a frequency comb based measurement of the (6,7)Li D lines

Optical frequencies of the D lines of (6,7)Li were measured with a relative accuracy of 5 × 10⁻¹¹ using an optical comb synthesizer. Quantum interference in the laser induced fluorescence for the partially resolved D2 lines was found to produce polarization dependent shifts as large as 1 MHz. Our results resolve large discrepancies among previous experiments and between all experiments and theory. The fine-structure splittings for ⁶Li and ⁷Li are 10052.837(22) MHz and 10053.435(21) MHz. The splitting isotope shift is 0.599(30) MHz, in reasonable agreement with recent theoretical calculations.

Kilohertz dye laser system for high resolution laser spectroscopy

We have electro-optically sliced the output light of a commercial Coherent Evolution Nd:YLF laser to pump a kilohertz repetition rate nanosecond dye laser system. Simple and highly adjustable, this laser system can easily be used for initial state preparation for ultrafast systems as well as high resolution spectroscopy.

High precision atomic theory for Li and Be+: QED shifts and isotope shifts

High-precision results are presented for calculations of the nonrelativistic energies, relativistic corrections, and quantum electrodynamic corrections for the 2 2S, 2 2P, and 3 2S states of Li and Be+, using nonrelativistic wave functions expressed in Hylleraas coordinates. Bethe logarithms are obtained for the states of Be+. Finite mass corrections are calculated with sufficient accuracy to extract the nuclear charge radius from measurements of the isotope shift for the 2 2S-2 2P and 2 2S-3 2S transitions. The calculated ionization potential for Be+ is 146 882.923+/-0.005 cm{-1}.

New mass value for 7Li

A high-accuracy mass measurement of 7Li was performed with the SMILETRAP Penning-trap mass spectrometer via a cyclotron frequency comparison of 7Li3+ and H2+. A new atomic-mass value of 7Li has been determined to be 7.016 003 425 6(45) u with a relative uncertainty of 0.63 ppb. It has uncovered a discrepancy as large as 14sigma (1.1 microu) deviation relative to the literature value given in the Atomic-Mass Evaluation AME 2003. The importance of the improved and revised 7Li mass value, for calibration purposes in nuclear-charge radii and atomic-mass measurements of the neutron halos 9Li and 11Li, is discussed.

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.

Nuclear charge radii of 8,9Li determined by laser spectroscopy

The 2s-->3s transition of (6,7,8,9)Li was studied by high-resolution laser spectroscopy using two-photon Doppler-free excitation and resonance-ionization detection. Hyperfine structure splittings and isotope shifts were determined with precision at the 100 kHz level. Combined with recent theoretical work, the changes in the nuclear-charge radii of (8,9)Li were determined. These are now the lightest short-lived isotopes for which the charge radii have been measured. It is found that the charge radii monotonically decrease with increasing neutron number from 6Li to 9Li.

Bethe logarithm and QED shift for lithium

A novel finite basis set method is used to calculate the Bethe logarithm for the ground 2 (2)S(1/2) and excited 3 (2)S(1/2) states of lithium. The basis sets are constructed to span a huge range of distance scales within a single calculation, leading to well-converged values for the Bethe logarithm. The results are used to calculate an accurate value for the complete quantum electrodynamic energy shift up to order alpha(3) Ry. The calculated 3 (2)S(1/2)-2 (2)S(1/2) transition frequency for 7Li is 27 206.092 6(9) cm(-1), and the ionization potential for the 2 (2)S(1/2) state is 43 487.158 3(6) cm(-1). The 7Li-6Li isotope shift is also considered, and all the results compared with experiment.