Electric Octupole Transition Research Articles

Study of Octupole Transitions in Xe, Ba, Ce and Nd Nuclei within Interacting Boson Model

For nuclei with 54≤Z≤60 and 86≤N≤94, the results regarding the excitation spectra at low energies, both in positive and negative parity, as well as the transition probabilities for electric dipole (B(E1)), quadrupole (B(E2)), and octupole transitions (B(E(3)), indicate the emergence of significant octupole behavior. These observations have been made using the Interacting Boson Model-1 (IBM-1). The study examines the onset of octupole deformation and its impact on the spectroscopic characteristics in even-even neutron-rich lanthanide isotopes, specifically in the Ba and Nd nuclei. The investigation compares the results obtained from the Interacting Boson Model-1 (IBM-1) with the existing experimental data. The focus is on understanding how the addition of neutrons influences the development of octupole deformation and its manifestation in the observed spectroscopic features. The onset of strong octupolarity for Z≈ 56 and N ≈ 88 nuclei is indicated by the results obtained for the electric dipole, quadrupole, and octupole transition probabilities, as well as the low-energy positive and negative-parity excitation spectra. Conversely, discrepancies between the spectroscopic data and the IBM results suggest that the mapping quality needs to be evaluated in order to determine if the mapped boson Hamiltonian or the fermionic calculations are the source of the issues.

Evaluation of a ^{88}Sr^{+} Optical Clock with a Direct Measurement of the Blackbody Radiation Shift and Determination of the Clock Frequency.

We report on an evaluation of an optical clock that uses the ^{2}S_{1/2}→^{2}D_{5/2} transition of a single ^{88}Sr^{+} ion as the reference. In contrast to previous work, we estimate the effective temperature of the blackbody radiation that shifts the reference transition directly during operation from the corresponding frequency shift and the well-characterized sensitivity to thermal radiation. We measure the clock output frequency against an independent ^{171}Yb^{+} ion clock, based on the ^{2}S_{1/2}(F=0)→^{2}F_{7/2}(F=3) electric octupole (E3) transition, and determine the frequency ratio with a total fractional uncertainty of 2.3×10^{-17}. Relying on a previous measurement of the ^{171}Yb^{+} (E3) clock frequency, we find the absolute frequency of the ^{88}Sr^{+} clock transition to be 444 779 044 095 485.277(59)Hz. Our result reduces the uncertainty by a factor of 3 compared with the previously most accurate measurement and may help to resolve so far inconsistent determinations of this value. We also show that for three simultaneously interrogated ^{88}Sr^{+} ions, the increased number causes the expected improvement of the short-term frequency instability of the optical clock without degrading its systematic uncertainty.

Excitation of Forbidden Electronic Transitions in Atoms by Hermite–Gaussian Modes

AbstractPhotoexcitation of trapped ions by Hermite–Gaussian (HG) modes from guided beam structures is proposed and investigated theoretically. In particular, simple analytical expressions for the matrix elements of induced atomic transitions are derived that depend both on the parameters of HG beams and on the geometry of an experiment. By using these general expressions, the electric octupole (E3) transition is investigated in an Yb+ion, localized in the low–intensity center of the HG10and HG01beams. It is shown how the corresponding Rabi frequency can be enhanced by properly choosing the polarization of incident light and the orientation of an external magnetic field, which defines the quantization axis of a target ion. The calculations, performed for experimentally feasible beam parameters, indicate that the achieved Rabi frequencies can be comparable or even higher than those observed for the conventional Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) modes. Since HG‐like modes can be relatively straightforwardly generated with high purity and stability from integrated photonics, these results suggest that they may form a novel tool for investigating highly‐forbidden atomic transitions.

Theoretical level energies and transition data for 4p[formula omitted]4d[formula omitted], 4p[formula omitted]4d[formula omitted] and 4p[formula omitted]4d[formula omitted]4f configurations of W[formula omitted] ion

The ab initio quasirelativistic approach developed specifically for the calculation of spectral parameters of highly charged ions has been used to determine transition data for the Mo-like tungsten ion W32+. The configuration interaction method is utilized to include electron correlation effects. The relativistic effects are taken into account in the Breit–Pauli approximation. Level energies, radiative lifetimes τ, Landé g-factors are determined for the ground configuration 4p64d6 and two excited configurations 4p54d7 and 4p64d54f. The radiative transition wavelengths λ, emission transition probabilities A, weighted oscillator strengths gf, and transition line strengths S for the electric dipole, electric quadrupole, electric octupole, magnetic dipole, and magnetic quadrupole transitions among the fine-structure levels of these configurations are produced. The uncertainties of computed spectroscopic parameters are evaluated.

Excitation of an Electric Octupole Transition by Twisted Light.

We study the coherent excitation of the ^{2}S_{1/2}→^{2}F_{7/2} electric octupole (E3) transition by twisted light modes with a single ^{171}Yb^{+} ion in the dark center of a vortex beam. The intensity distribution of the beam is mapped as a function of the ion's position by measuring the light shift on an auxiliary electric quadrupole transition. In the center of the vortex beam, we observe excitation of the E3 transition with a fivefold reduced light shift in comparison to excitation by plane wave radiation for the same Rabi frequency. We measure the excitation probabilities for Laguerre-Gaussian twisted light modes of first and second order for different polarization patterns at various orientations of the ion quantization axis with respect to the beam propagation vector. We compare the experimental results with theoretical predictions and find good qualitative agreement.

Octupole correlations in collective excitations of neutron-rich N≈56 nuclei

Octupole correlations in the low-energy collective states of neutron-rich nuclei with the neutron number $N\approx56$ are studied within the interacting boson model (IBM) that is based on the nuclear density functional theory. The constrained self-consistent mean-field (SCMF) calculations using a universal energy density functional and a pairing interaction provide the potential energy surfaces in terms of the axially-symmetric quadrupole and octupole deformations for the even-even nuclei $^{86-94}$Se, $^{88-96}$Kr, $^{90-98}$Sr, $^{92-100}$Zr, and $^{94-102}$Mo. The SCMF energy surface is then mapped onto the energy expectation value of a version of the IBM in the boson condensate state, which consists of the neutron and proton monopole $s$, quadrupole $d$, and octupole $f$ bosons. This procedure determines the strength parameters of the IBM Hamiltonian, which is used to compute relevant spectroscopic properties. At the SCMF level, no octupole deformed ground state is obtained, while the energy surface is generally soft in the octupole deformation at $N\approx56$. The predicted negative-parity yrast bands with the bandhead state $3^-_1$ weakly depend on $N$ and become lowest in energy at $N=56$ in each of the considered isotopic chains. The model further predicts finite electric octupole transition rates between the lowest negative- and the positive-parity ground-state bands.

Theoretical level energies and transition data for 4p64d8, 4p54d9 and 4p64d74f configurations of W[formula omitted] ion

The ab initio quasirelativistic approach developed specifically for the calculation of spectral parameters of highly charged ions was used to derive transition data for the Ru-like tungsten ion W30+. The configuration interaction method was applied to include electron correlation effects. The relativistic effects were taken into account in the Breit–Pauli approximation. The level energies, radiative lifetimes τ, Landé g-factors were determined for the ground configuration 4p64d8 and two excited configurations 4p54d9 and 4p64d74f. The radiative transition wavelengths λ and emission transition probabilities A for the electric dipole, electric quadrupole, electric octupole, magnetic dipole, and magnetic quadrupole transitions among the levels of these configurations were generated.

Lifetime of the ^{2}F_{7/2} Level in Yb^{+} for Spontaneous Emission of Electric Octupole Radiation.

We report a measurement of the radiative lifetime of the ^{2}F_{7/2} level of ^{171}Yb^{+} that is coupled to the ^{2}S_{1/2} ground state via an electric octupole transition. The radiative lifetime is determined to be 4.98(25)×10^{7} s, corresponding to 1.58(8)yr. The result reduces the relative uncertainty in this exceptionally long excited state lifetime by 1 order of magnitude with respect to previous experimental estimates. Our method is based on the coherent excitation of the corresponding transition and avoids limitations through competing decay processes. The explicit dependence on the laser intensity is eliminated by simultaneously measuring the resonant Rabi frequency and the induced quadratic Stark shift. Combining the result with information on the dynamic differential polarizability permits a calculation of the transition matrix element to infer the radiative lifetime.

Evolution of octupole deformation and collectivity in neutron-rich lanthanides

The onset of octupole deformation and its impact on related spectroscopic properties is studied in even-even neutron-rich lanthanide isotopes Xe, Ba, Ce, and Nd with neutron number $86\leqslant N\leqslant 94$. Microscopic input comes from the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov approximation with constrains on the axially symmetric quadrupole and octupole operators using the Gogny-D1M interaction. At the mean-field level, reflection asymmetric ground states are predicted for isotopes with neutron number around $N=88$. Spectroscopic properties are studied by diagonalizing the interacting boson model Hamiltonian, with the parameters obtained via the mapping of the mean-field potential energy surface onto the expectation value of the Hamiltonian in the $s$, $d$, and $f$ boson condensate state. The results obtained for low-energy positive- and negative-parity excitation spectra as well as the electric dipole, quadrupole, and octupole transition probabilities indicate the onset of pronounced octupolarity for $Z\approx 56$ and $N\approx 88$ nuclei.

Optical frequency ratio of a 171Yb+ single-ion clock and a 87Sr lattice clock

We report direct measurements of the frequency ratio of the 642 THz electric octupole transition in 171Yb+ and the 429 THz transition in 87Sr. A series of 107 measurements has been performed at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt between December 2012 and October 2019. Long-term variations of the ratio are larger than expected from the individual measurement uncertainties of few 10−17. The cause of these variations remains unknown. Even taking these into account, we find a fractional uncertainty of the frequency ratio of 2.5 × 10−17, which improves upon previous knowledge by one order of magnitude. The average frequency ratio is . This represents one of the most accurate measurements between two different atomic species to date.

Improved Limits for Violations of Local Position Invariance from Atomic Clock Comparisons.

We compare two optical clocks based on the ^{2}S_{1/2}(F=0)→^{2}D_{3/2}(F=2) electric quadrupole (E2) and the ^{2}S_{1/2}(F=0)→^{2}F_{7/2}(F=3) electric octupole (E3) transition of ^{171}Yb^{+} and measure the frequency ratio ν_{E3}/ν_{E2}=0.932829404530965376(32), improving upon previous measurements by an order of magnitude. Using two caesium fountain clocks, we find ν_{E3}=642121496772645.10(8) Hz, the most accurate determination of an optical transition frequency to date. Repeated measurements of both quantities over several years are analyzed for potential violations of local position invariance. We improve by factors of about 20 and 2 the limits for fractional temporal variations of the fine structure constant α to 1.0(1.1)×10^{-18}/yr and of the proton-to-electron mass ratio μ to -8(36)×10^{-18}/yr. Using the annual variation of the Sun's gravitational potential at Earth Φ, we improve limits for a potential coupling of both constants to gravity, (c^{2}/α)(dα/dΦ)=14(11)×10^{-9} and (c^{2}/μ)(dμ/dΦ)=7(45)×10^{-8}.

Coherent Excitation of the Highly Forbidden Electric Octupole Transition in Yb+172

We report on the first coherent excitation of the highly forbidden ^{2}S_{1/2}→^{2}F_{7/2} electric octupole (E3) transition in a single trapped ^{172}Yb^{+} ion, an isotope without nuclear spin. Using the transition in ^{171}Yb^{+} as a reference, we determine the transition frequency to be 642 116 784 950 887.6(2.4) Hz. We map out the magnetic field environment using the forbidden ^{2}S_{1/2}→^{2}D_{5/2} electric quadrupole (E2) transition and determine its frequency to be 729 476 867 027 206.8(4.4) Hz. Our results are a factor of 1×10^{5} (3×10^{5}) more accurate for the E2 (E3) transition compared to previous measurements. The results open up the way to search for new physics via precise isotope shift measurements and improved tests of local Lorentz invariance using the metastable ^{2}F_{7/2} state of Yb^{+}.

Coherent Suppression of Tensor Frequency Shifts through Magnetic Field Rotation.

We introduce a scheme to coherently suppress second-rank tensor frequency shifts in atomic clocks, relying on the continuous rotation of an external magnetic field during the free atomic state evolution in a Ramsey sequence. The method retrieves the unperturbed frequency within a single interrogation cycle and is readily applicable to various atomic clock systems. For the frequency shift due to the electric quadrupole interaction, we experimentally demonstrate suppression by more than two orders of magnitude for the ^{2}S_{1/2}→^{2}D_{3/2} transition of a single trapped ^{171}Yb^{+} ion. The scheme provides particular advantages in the case of the ^{171}Yb^{+} ^{2}S_{1/2}→^{2}F_{7/2} electric octupole (E3) transition. For an improved estimate of the residual quadrupole shift for this transition, we measure the excited state electric quadrupole moments Θ(^{2}D_{3/2})=1.95(1)ea_{0}^{2} and Θ(^{2}F_{7/2})=-0.0297(5)ea_{0}^{2} with e the elementary charge and a_{0} the Bohr radius, improving the measurement uncertainties by one order of magnitude.

Generalized excitation of atomic multipole transitions by twisted light modes

A theoretical study is performed for the excitation of a single atom localized in the center of twisted light modes. Here we present the explicit dependence of excitation rates on critical parameters, such as the polarization of light, its orbital angular momentum projection, and the orientation of its propagation axis with respect to the atomic quantization axis. The effect of a spatial spread of the atom is also considered in detail. The expressions for transition rates obtained in this work can be used for any atom of arbitrary electronic configuration. For definiteness we apply them to the specific case of $^{2}S_{1/2} (F=0) \rightarrow\; ^{2}F_{7/2} (F=3, M=0)$ electric octupole (E3) transition in $^{171}$Yb$^{+}$ ion. Our analytical and numerical results are suitable for the analysis and planning of future experiments on the excitation of electric-dipole-forbidden transitions by twisted light modes in optical atomic clocks.

Pear-shaped atomic nuclei.

This review presents the current status of experimental evidence for the occurrence of reflection-asymmetric or ‘pear’ shapes in atomic nuclei, which arises from the presence of strong octupole correlations in the nucleon–nucleon interactions. The behaviour of energy levels and electric octupole transition moments is reviewed, with particular emphasis on recent measurements. The relevance of nuclear pear shapes to measurements of fundamental interactions is also discussed.

Measurement of f orbital hybridization in rare earths through electric dipole-octupole interference in x-ray absorption spectroscopy

Hybridization between $f$ and $p$ orbitals is relevant in many applications of rare-earth materials (catalysis, magnetism, nuclear industry) and in fundamental research (Kondo and heavy fermion systems). The authors investigated the ground state mixing between $f$ and $p$ orbitals in rare earths using high resolution x-ray absorption spectroscopy with linearly polarized x-rays, through the interference between electric dipole (\ensuremath{\Delta}L=1) and octupole (\ensuremath{\Delta}L=3) transitions. The $f\ensuremath{-}p$ hybridization was quantified by an hexadecapole moment using a sum rule. This approach has been put to the test on Gadolinium Gallium Garnet where $4f$ states are expected to be localized.

Energies, electric dipole (E1), quadrupole (E2), octupole (E3) and magnetic dipole (M1), quadrupole (M2) transition rates for Ca XII, Ti XIV, Cr XVI, Fe XVIII and Ni XX

Energies, weighted oscillator strengths (gf), line strengths (S) and radiative rates (A) for allowed and forbidden transitions are presented for 2s2p62S1/2 − 2s22p52P1/2, 2P3/2 and 2s22p52P1/2 − 2s22p52P3/2 transitions in fluorine-like Ca XII (Z = 20), Ti XIV (Z = 22), Cr XVI (Z = 24), Fe XVIII (Z = 26) and Ni XX (Z = 28) ions. Moreover, the allowed electric dipole (E1) and the forbidden electric quadrupole (E2), octupole (E3), magnetic dipole (M1) and quadrupole (M2) transition rates for some transitions are obtained. The 2s22p5–2s 2p6-type transitions of F-like ions are prominent in high-temperature plasmas and are useful for diagnostics. The present results are obtained from configuration interaction atomic structure calculations using the code SUPERSTRUCTURE (SS) which includes relativistic effects in Breit–Pauli approximation. The comparison of the present energies with the available observed energies displayed very good agreement (< 1%). The presented excitation energy results have been compared with other detailed relativistic approaches such as Dirac–Fock, coupled cluster and configuration interaction for a few ionic states.

Octupole phonon model based on the shell model for octupole vibrational states

A model is proposed for a description of the octupole vibrational states based on the nuclear shell model. In this model, a one-octupole-phonon representing the collective octupole vibration across the magic core is introduced onto the shell-model states that are microscopically calculated within the valence nucleon space. With this model, a unified description is now possible for the pure shell-model states made by valence nucleons, and the octupole-phonon states excited on the shell-model states. The model is applied to various nuclei around the $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ nucleus. Energy levels and electric octupole transition probabilities are well reproduced for both the pure shell-model states and the octupole vibrational states.

Allowed and forbidden transition rates and corresponding wavelengths for Si-like Au ion (Au65+) by relativistic configuration interaction method

Large-scale atomic calculations are carried out to produce data of atomic structure and transitions rates for Si-like Au ion (Au65+). Generated atomic data are essential for modeling of M-shell spectra of gold ions in Au plasma, and fusion research. Energy levels are calculated by applying two methods: the relativistic configuration interaction method (RCI) of the flexible atomic code (FAC) and the multi-reference many body perturbation theory method (MR-MBPT). Energy levels, oscillator strengths, and transition rates are calculated for transitions between excited and ground states from n = 3l to n′l′, where n′ = 4, 5, 6, and 7; and l and l′ are the proper angular momenta of shells n and n′, respectively. The electric dipole (E1), electric quadrupole (E2), electric octupole (E3), magnetic dipole (M1), magnetic quadrupole (M2), and magnetic octupole (M3) transitions are all considered in the calculations. Correlation effects, relativistic effects, and QED effects are also included in the calculations. The two methods yield comparable values of energy levels. Data of energy levels of low-lying states and data for inner shell transitions reported in this study demonstrate good agreement with published experimental and theoretical data.

Theoretical level energies and transition data for 4p64d5, 4p54d6 and 4p64d44f configurations of W33+ ion

The ab initio quasirelativistic approach developed specifically for the calculation of spectral parameters of highly charged ions was used to derive transition data for the Nb-like tungsten ion W33+. The configuration interaction method was applied to include electron correlation effects. The relativistic effects were taken into account in the Breit–Pauli approximation. The level energies, radiative lifetimes τ, Landé g-factors were determined for the ground configuration 4p64d5 and two excited configurations 4p54d6 and 4p64d44f. The radiative transition wavelengths λ and emission transition probabilities A for the electric dipole, electric quadrupole, electric octupole, magnetic dipole, and magnetic quadrupole transitions among the levels of these configurations were produced. The uncertainties of computed spectroscopic parameters were evaluated.