Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026

In Situ Measurement of Vacuum Window Birefringence using 25Mg+ Fluorescence
Published on: June 13, 2020
Direct determination of the magnetic quadrupole contribution to the Lyman-α₁ transition in a hydrogenlike ion
G Weber1, H Bräuning, A Surzhykov
1GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany.
Abstract:
We report the observation of an interference between the electric dipole (E1) and the magnetic quadrupole (M2) amplitudes for the linear polarization of the Ly-α1 (2p3/2→1s1/2) radiation of hydrogenlike uranium. This multipole mixing arises from the coupling of the ion to different multipole components of the radiation field. Our observation indicates a significant depolarization of the Ly-α1 radiation due to the E1-M2 amplitude mixing. It proves that a combined measurement of the linear polarization and of the angular distribution enables a very precise determination of the ratio of the E1 and the M2 transition amplitudes and the corresponding transition rates without any assumptions concerning the population mechanism for the 2p3/2 state.
More Related Videos
08:22Measurement of Ultrafast Vibrational Coherences in Polyatomic Radical Cations with Strong-Field Adiabatic Ionization
Published on: August 6, 2018
09:40Measurement and Analysis of Atomic Hydrogen and Diatomic Molecular AlO, C2, CN, and TiO Spectra Following Laser-induced Optical Breakdown
Published on: February 14, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Mass Analyzers: Common Types
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Magnetic Moment
π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Overview
Atomic Nuclei: Magnetic Resonance
¹H NMR: Complex Splitting
Splitting diagrams or splitting tree diagrams are routinely used to depict such complex couplings. While drawing splitting diagrams, the splitting with the larger coupling constant is usually applied first.
Atomic Nuclei: Larmor Precession Frequency