Nuclear structure corrections in muonic deuterium

TL;DR

This paper investigates nuclear structure corrections in muonic deuterium to address discrepancies in muonic hydrogen measurements, focusing on deuteron polarizability and its impact on energy transition predictions.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of deuteron polarizability effects and calculates the total nuclear structure correction for muonic deuterium's 2P-2S transition.

Findings

Deuteron polarizability correction cancels with elastic contribution.

Total nuclear structure correction in muonic deuterium is 1.680(16) meV.

Results help refine theoretical predictions for muonic deuterium energy levels.

Abstract

The muonic hydrogen experiment measuring the $2P-2S$ transition energy [R. Pohl {\em et al.}, Nature {\bf 466}, 213 (2010)] is significantly discrepant with theoretical predictions based on quantum electrodynamics. A possible approach to resolve this conundrum is to compare experimental values with theoretical predictions in another system, muonic deuterium $\mu$D. The only correction which might be questioned in $\mu$D is that due to the deuteron polarizability. We investigate this effect in detail and observe cancellation with the elastic contribution. The total value obtained for the deuteron structure correction in the $2P-2S$ transition is 1.680(16) meV.