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Spectroscopy of the regular hydrogen Balmer spectrum has inspired numerous pathbreaking discoveries, from the Bohr model and the old quantum physics of Sommerfeld to the wave mechanics of de Broglie and Schr¨odinger and on to the relativistic quantum theory of Dirac. The line profile of the red Balmer line also gave the first hints for a level shift due to vacuum fluctuations. Willis Lamb has been awarded the Nobel Prize for confirming this shift after the second world war, laying one of the main experimental foundations of modern quantum electrodynamics. The interest in optical spectroscopy of hydrogen revived in the 1970s, after highly monochromatic tunable lasers became available which could eliminate the Doppler broadening of spectral lines by nonlinear laser spectroscopy. For the first time, single fine structure components could be resolved in the hydrogen Balmer lines. Even the first laser measurement of the wavelength of the red Balmer line by saturation spectroscopy in my former group at Stanford yielded a tenfold im- provement in the accuracy of the Rydberg constant, one of the cornerstones in the system of fundamental constants. Since then several experimental groups have pursued the tantalizing goal to test fundamental theory and to measure impor- tant constants by ever more precise laser spectroscopy of atomic hydrogen. This quest has inspired numerous advances in spectroscopic techniques and instru- mentation. Methods such as polarization spectroscopy, Doppler-free two-photon spectroscopy, and even laser cooling have been invented and refined during th is pursuit since the 1970s. In the 1990, the achieved spectral resolution began to challenge the accuracy limits of optical wavelength metrology and motivated an intense search for better techniques to measure the frequency of light. In the past few years, this quest has culminated in the invention of the optical frequency comb based on femtosecond laser, which provides a direct link between optical and microwave frequencies and which permits the comparison of different frequencies with unprecedented levels of precision. In the first measurement of an absolute optical frequency with the help of such a comb synthesizer at the Max-Planck-Institut f¨ur Quantenoptik VI Foreword in Garching during the summer of 1999, the frequency of the sharp hydrogen 1S-2S two-photon transition has been compared to the microwave frequency of a transportable cesium fountain clock to within 1.9 parts in 10 14 . Together with a new such measurement in February of 2003, this experiments is setting new limits on a possible slow variation of the fine structure constant with the evolution of the universe. The accuracy of such spectroscopic measurements is now limited by the microwave atomic clocks. However, the same spectroscopic methods are enabling the development of novel optical atomic clocks which are expected to push the limits of spectroscopic precision to parts in 10 18 within the next decade. Such prospects have inspired renewed interest in the quantum electrodynamic theory of atomic hydrogen levels. Theorists in atomic physics and in particle physics are discovering problems of common interest and are beginning to share their insights, tools, and methods. New approaches, new algorithms, and new computer power are being harnessed to conquer previously elusive higher order corrections. In the past, comparisons of theory and experiment have been hampered by our poor knowledge of the quadratic charge radius of the proton. However, a laser measurement of the Lamb shift of muonic hydrogen, now well underway at the Paul Scherrer Institute, should finally yield a precise measurement of the proton size. This study of the muonic atom is an example for the growing list of simple atoms under study. The experimental frontier continues to expand in the direction of hydrogen-like short-lived exotic atoms and heavier ions. Another challenging experiment will be precision laser spectroscopy of antihydrogen. The first slow antihydrogen atoms have now been produced by the ATHENA and ATRAP teams at CERN, and future experiments may well reveal conceivable differences between matter and antimatter. Considering such prospects it seems quite likely that atomic hydrogen will again become a Rosetta stone for deciphering the secrets of nature. Perhaps the biggest surprise in this continuing endeavor would be if we found no surprises. The 2002 conference on the physics of simple atoms brought together many scientists working at this exciting frontier. Fortunately the most important con- tributions to the meeting are published in this book and are thus now available to a wider audience. Munich, Theodor W. H¨ansch April, 2003 Preface Because of their apparent “simplicity” simple atoms present a great challenge and temptation to experts in various branches of physics from fundamental prob- lems of particle physics to astrophysics, applied physics and metrology. This book is based on the presentations at the International Conference on Precision Physics of Simple Atomic Systems (PSAS 2002) whose primary target was to provide an effective exchange between physicists from different fields. From the early days of modern physics, studies of simple atoms involved ba- sic ideas which have essentially contributed to the creation of the present day physical picture based on the Schr¨odinger and Dirac theories, quantum electro- dynamics (QED) with the renormalization approach etc. Today, the precision physics of simple atoms involves the most sophisticated experimental and the- oretical methods and plays an important role in the progress of laser, atomic, nuclear and particle physics and metrology, delivering the most accurate avail- able data. This book covers a broad range of problems related to simple atoms and precision measurements: spectroscopy of hydrogen, helium, muonic and exotic atoms, highly charged ions, nuclear structure and its effects on atomic energy levels, highly accurate determination of values of fundamental physical constants and the search for their possible variation with time, QED tests and precision mass spectroscopy. This is the second book on the subject within a relatively short time, follow- ing Hydrogen Atom: Precision Physics of Simple Atomic Systems published by Springer in 2001 (LNP Vol. 570). However, the collection of reviews presented here has no essential overlap with the previous volume. Simple atoms play an important role in science teaching, offering a good demonstration system to apply quantum mechanics. We include in the book two lectures on the theory of Coulomb atomic systems. These two tutorial papers on hydrogen-like atoms present a collection of applications to actual problems of advanced quantum theory of the hydrogen atom and other hydrogen-like sys- tems. This book presents the state-of-the-art and recent progress in studies of sim- ple atoms and related questions. We also tried to cover topics missing in the former book and we hope we succeeded in that. The present book is prepared following the review presentations at PSAS 2002 which took place in St. Peters- burg on June, 30–July, 4, 2002. More detail about the meeting can be found at http://psas2002.vniim.ru. Several selected progress reports are also included. VIII Preface Support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Russian Center of Laser Physics, D.I. Mendeleev Institute for Metrology (VNIIM), Max-Planck Institut f¨ur Quantenoptik is gratefully acknowledged by the Organizing Com- mittee. We would like specially to express our gratitude to Gordon Drake and the Canadian Journal of Physics, published by the NRC Research Press, and to Springer-Verlag for the agreement to publish in this book an enlarged version of four papers presented in the conference issue of the Canadian Journal of Physics. In particular we gratefully acknowledge that several of the pictures used by our contributors have been already published by them in the Canadian Journal of Physics. To my great sorrow, Prof Valery Smirnov, the head of the Russian Center of Laser Physics and a co-chairman of the Conference died recently and will not see our book published. To him we also owe our gratitude. St.Petersburg and Garching Savely Karshenboim April, 2003 [...]... completely devoted to physics of simple atoms [1–4] and our book is to be an addition to that collection The present book is based on presentations at the International conference on Precision Physics of Simple Atomic Systems (PSAS 2002) and it follows the book [4] which presented the reviews and contributed papers of the International conference Hydrogen atom: Precision Physics of Simple Atomic Systems (2000)... crucial overlap of their results and their applications, is the very soul of precision physics of simple atoms Study of simple atoms is also of a methodological interest since theory of hydrogen and hydrogen-like atoms presents the most accurate and most advanced theory of a particular quantum object Basic text books on quantum mechanics used to have a chapter or so on hydrogen and other simple atoms... Abstract An introduction into the recent progress in precision physics of simple atoms is presented Special attention is paid to the review contributions presented in this book 1 Introduction Precision physics of simple atom is a field which involves scientists from different part of physics Only a short list of contributions from those parts includes: • Laser physics offers high-resolution spectroscopic methods... 199 199 200 207 208 Appendix: Proceedings of International Conference on Precision Physics of Simple Atomic Systems (St Petersburg, 2002) – Table of Contents Canadian Journal of Physics 80(11) (2002) 211 Index 215 List of Contributing Participants James L Friar, Los Alamos National Laboratory,... considered in the former book [7], while measurements of the atomic mass of cesium [38] and of the electron [15] are in part discussed here A highly accurate measurement of other atomic masses [38] can be used in the future to determine the fine structure constant via the photon recoil and atomic interferometry of other atoms 6 New Results on Precision Tests of Quantum Electrodynamics As we mention above,... Complete the introduction with a few words about our conference The International conference on Precision Physics of Simple Atomic Systems (PSAS 2002) took place in St Petersburg on June, 30–July, 3, 2002 The contributed papers formed the conference issue of the Canadian Journal of Physics 80(11) (2002) and its table of contents can be found in Appendix to this book [6] More detail about the meeting can be... between the conference (July, 2002) and submission of the book (December, 2002), such as the formation of antihydrogen, and we hope that they will be presented at Hydrogen Atom, 3: Precision Physics of Simple Atomic systems in 2004 and maybe will be considered in the next book Acknowledgements Several papers of this book [38,41,53,55] present enlarged versions of contributions already published in the conference...Contents Recent Progress with Precision Physics of Simple Atoms S.G Karshenboim, V.B Smirnov 1 1 Introduction 1 2 Recent Progress in the Study of Hydrogen and Helium 2 3 Progress in the Study of Muonium and Positronium 3 4 Progress in the Precision Study of Highly Charged Ions ... group of Flambaum and Webb from Sydney [44] In the present book a detailed review summarizes the state of the art in the field from the point of view of their competitors from the Varshalovich group [45] An exciting problem arises in the interpretation of astrophysical data, Recent Progress with Simple Atoms 7 which have shown an inconsistency of available data and their interpretation in terms of relativistic... energy in comparison with mµ c2 The “strongness” of the field leads to an enhancement of the production of virtual electron-positron pairs and details of the structure of the spectrum in muonic atoms differ from those for the conventional (electronic) atoms The review [53] provides an adequate coverage of the subject We note, that due to reasons of particle physics, few projects on intensive muon sources . crucial overlap of their results and their applications, is the very soul of precision physics of simple atoms. Study of simple atoms is also of a methodological interest since theory of hy- drogen. Variations of Fundamental Constants 200 3 Conclusions 207 References 208 Appendix: Proceedings of International Conference on Precision Physics of Simple Atomic Systems (St. Petersburg, 2002) – Table of. held by the physics of simple atomic systems. During the first three decades of the 20th century, the hydrogen atom has provided the Rosetta stone for deciphering the mysteries of quantum physics. Spectroscopy