New experiments on few-electron very heavy atoms

Abstract

New experiments, to test quantum electrodynamics (QED) in strong Coulomb fields and to study atomic collisions at ultra relativistic energies, are proposed. A 0.1% measurement of the 2 2P1/2–2 2S1/2 splitting in lithiumlike uranium (Z=92) and the 2 3P0–2 3S1 splitting in heliumlike uranium is proposed as a sub 1% test of the Lamb shift in a strong Coulomb field. Measurements of the hyperfine splitting of hydrogenlike uranium are proposed as a test of the QED contribution to the magnetic moment of an electron bound in a strong Coulomb field. Measurements of capture cross sections for ultra‐relativistic very heavy nuclei are proposed to look for the capture of electrons from pair production.