The helion charge radius from laser spectroscopy of muonic helium-3 ions.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40403064.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/science.adj2610.
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Abstract
Hydrogen-like light muonic ions, in which one negative muon replaces all of the electrons, are extremely sensitive probes of nuclear structure. Using pulsed laser spectroscopy, we have measured three 2<i>S</i>-2<i>P</i> transitions in the muonic helium-3 (μ<sup>3</sup>He<sup>+</sup>) ion, an ion formed by a negative muon and bare helium-3 nucleus. This allowed us to extract the Lamb shift, the 2<i>P</i> fine structure splitting, and the 2<i>S</i>-hyperfine splitting in μ<sup>3</sup>He<sup>+</sup>. Comparing these measurements with theory, we determined the root-mean-square charge radius of the helion (<sup>3</sup>He nucleus) to be <i>r<sub>h</sub></i> = 1.97007(94) fm, in good agreement with the value from elastic electron scattering but a factor 15 more accurate. Our results represent benchmarks for few-nucleon theories and open the way for precision quantum electrodynamics tests in He atoms and ions.