Test of many-electron QED effects in the hyperfine splitting of heavy high-Z ions

TL;DR

This paper presents a precise theoretical evaluation of two-photon exchange corrections to hyperfine structure in heavy ions, enabling stringent tests of many-electron QED effects in strong electromagnetic fields.

Contribution

It provides a rigorous calculation of two-photon exchange corrections, significantly improving the theoretical accuracy for hyperfine splitting differences in heavy ions.

Findings

Enhanced accuracy in hyperfine splitting predictions for Bi ions

Potential for testing many-electron QED effects at a few percent level

Improved theoretical framework for heavy ion hyperfine structure

Abstract

A rigorous evaluation of the two-photon exchange corrections to the hyperfine structure in lithiumlike heavy ions is presented. As a result, the theoretical accuracy of the specific difference between the hyperfine splitting values of H- and Li-like Bi ions is significantly improved. This opens a possibility for the stringent test of the many-electron QED effects on a few percent level in the strongest electromagnetic field presently available in experiments.