High-precision metrology of highly charged ions via relativistic resonance fluorescence

TL;DR

This paper presents a relativistic quantum model for resonance fluorescence of highly charged ions driven by x-ray lasers, enabling high-precision measurements of atomic and nuclear properties and testing fundamental physics.

Contribution

It introduces an ab initio relativistic approach using the Dirac equation to study resonance fluorescence in highly charged ions, advancing precision metrology and fundamental tests.

Findings

Allows for testing relativistic quantum electrodynamics phenomena

Enables precise determination of atomic multipole moments

Provides a new method for high-accuracy nuclear effect measurements

Abstract

Resonance fluorescence of laser-driven highly charged ions is studied in the relativistic regime by solving the time-dependent master equation in a multi-level model. Our ab initio approach based on the Dirac equation allows for investigating highly relativistic ions, and, consequently, provides a sensitive means to test correlated relativistic dynamics, bound-state quantum electrodynamic phenomena and nuclear effects by applying coherent light with x-ray frequencies. Atomic dipole or multipole moments may be determined to unprecedented accuracy by measuring the interference-narrowed fluorescence spectrum.