Evidence Against Nuclear Polarization as Source of Fine-Structure Anomalies in Muonic Atoms

A long-standing problem of fine-structure anomalies in muonic atoms is revisited by considering the splittings Δ2p=E_{2p_{3/2}}-E_{2p_{1/2}} in muonic ^{90}Zr, ^{120}Sn, and ^{208}Pb and Δ3p=E_{3p_{3/2}}-E_{3p_{1/2}} in muonic ^{208}Pb. State-of-the-art techniques from both nuclear and atomic physics are brought together in order to perform the most comprehensive to date calculations of nuclear-polarization energy shifts. Barring the more subtle case of μ-^{208}Pb, the results suggest that the dominant calculation uncertainty is much smaller than the persisting discrepancies between theory and experiment. We conclude that the resolution to the anomalies is likely to be rooted in refined quantum-electrodynamics corrections or even some other previously unaccounted-for contributions.