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Loetzsch R, Beyer HF, Duval L, Spillmann U, Banaś D, Dergham P, Kröger FM, Glorius J, Grisenti RE, Guerra M, Gumberidze A, Heß R, Hillenbrand PM, Indelicato P, Jagodzinski P, Lamour E, Lorentz B, Litvinov S, Litvinov YA, Machado J, Paul N, Paulus GG, Petridis N, Santos JP, Scheidel M, Sidhu RS, Steck M, Steydli S, Szary K, Trotsenko S, Uschmann I, Weber G, Stöhlker T, Trassinelli M. Testing quantum electrodynamics in extreme fields using helium-like uranium. Nature 2024; 625:673-678. [PMID: 38267680 PMCID: PMC10808054 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06910-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Quantum electrodynamics (QED), the quantum field theory that describes the interaction between light and matter, is commonly regarded as the best-tested quantum theory in modern physics. However, this claim is mostly based on extremely precise studies performed in the domain of relatively low field strengths and light atoms and ions1-6. In the realm of very strong electromagnetic fields such as in the heaviest highly charged ions (with nuclear charge Z ≫ 1), QED calculations enter a qualitatively different, non-perturbative regime. Yet, the corresponding experimental studies are very challenging, and theoretical predictions are only partially tested. Here we present an experiment sensitive to higher-order QED effects and electron-electron interactions in the high-Z regime. This is achieved by using a multi-reference method based on Doppler-tuned X-ray emission from stored relativistic uranium ions with different charge states. The energy of the 1s1/22p3/2 J = 2 → 1s1/22s1/2 J = 1 intrashell transition in the heaviest two-electron ion (U90+) is obtained with an accuracy of 37 ppm. Furthermore, a comparison of uranium ions with different numbers of bound electrons enables us to disentangle and to test separately the one-electron higher-order QED effects and the bound electron-electron interaction terms without the uncertainty related to the nuclear radius. Moreover, our experimental result can discriminate between several state-of-the-art theoretical approaches and provides an important benchmark for calculations in the strong-field domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Loetzsch
- Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena, Germany.
| | - H F Beyer
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - L Duval
- Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Sorbonne Université, ENS-PSL Research University, Collège de France, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - U Spillmann
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - D Banaś
- Institute of Physics, Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce, Poland
| | - P Dergham
- Institut des NanoSciences de Paris, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - F M Kröger
- Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena, Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - J Glorius
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - R E Grisenti
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - M Guerra
- Laboratory of Instrumentation, Biomedical Engineering and Radiation Physics (LIBPhys-UNL), Department of Physics, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Caparica, Portugal
| | - A Gumberidze
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - R Heß
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - P-M Hillenbrand
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
- I. Physikalisches Institut, Justus-Liebig-Universität, Giessen, Germany
| | - P Indelicato
- Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Sorbonne Université, ENS-PSL Research University, Collège de France, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - P Jagodzinski
- Institute of Physics, Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce, Poland
| | - E Lamour
- Institut des NanoSciences de Paris, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - B Lorentz
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - S Litvinov
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Yu A Litvinov
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - J Machado
- Laboratory of Instrumentation, Biomedical Engineering and Radiation Physics (LIBPhys-UNL), Department of Physics, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Caparica, Portugal
| | - N Paul
- Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Sorbonne Université, ENS-PSL Research University, Collège de France, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - G G Paulus
- Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - N Petridis
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
- Institut für Kernphysik, Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - J P Santos
- Laboratory of Instrumentation, Biomedical Engineering and Radiation Physics (LIBPhys-UNL), Department of Physics, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Caparica, Portugal
| | - M Scheidel
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - R S Sidhu
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
- School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - M Steck
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - S Steydli
- Institut des NanoSciences de Paris, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - K Szary
- Institute of Physics, Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce, Poland
| | - S Trotsenko
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - I Uschmann
- Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena, Germany
| | - G Weber
- Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Th Stöhlker
- Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena, Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - M Trassinelli
- Institut des NanoSciences de Paris, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
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