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Stringent test of QED with hydrogen-like tin
1Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg, Germany. Jonathan.Morgner@mpi-hd.mpg.de.
Nature
|October 4, 2023
Summary
This study precisely measured the gyromagnetic factor of highly charged tin ions, providing a stringent test of quantum electrodynamics (QED) in strong fields. The results challenge existing QED tests and may surpass them with future theoretical advancements.
Area of Science:
- Atomic Physics
- Quantum Electrodynamics (QED)
- High-Energy Ion Physics
Background:
- Inner-shell electrons experience extreme electric fields near the nucleus, making highly charged ions suitable for testing QED in strong fields.
- Previous QED tests using Lamb shifts or g-factors in highly charged ions were limited by experimental accuracy or field strength.
Purpose of the Study:
- To perform a high-precision, high-field test of quantum electrodynamics (QED) using hydrogen-like 118Sn49+ ions.
- To measure the bound-electron g factor of these ions and compare it with state-of-the-art theoretical calculations.
Main Methods:
- Production of highly charged tin ions (118Sn49+) using the Heidelberg electron beam ion trap (EBIT).
- Injection of ions into the ALPHATRAP Penning-trap setup for high-precision measurement of the bound-electron g factor.
- Comparison of experimental g-factor measurements with theoretical QED calculations.
Main Results:
- The bound-electron g factor of hydrogen-like 118Sn49+ was measured with a precision of 0.5 parts per billion (ppb).
- The combined experimental and theoretical results provide a QED test accuracy of approximately 0.012% in a strong-field regime.
- This measurement challenges existing stringent tests of QED and is poised to surpass them.
Conclusions:
- The high-precision measurement of the g factor in highly charged tin ions offers a new benchmark for testing quantum electrodynamics in strong fields.
- This work demonstrates the potential of g-factor measurements in highly charged ions to significantly advance the precision of QED tests.
- Future advancements in g-factor theory are expected to further enhance the impact of these findings, potentially surpassing Lamb shift tests by an order of magnitude.
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