Precision measurement of the $^3D_1$ and $^3D_2$ quadrupole moments in Lu$^+$

TL;DR

This paper reports highly precise measurements of the quadrupole moments of specific excited states in Lu$^+$ ions, using a differential shift technique to eliminate external field effects, providing data crucial for understanding hyperfine interactions.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel differential measurement method for quadrupole moments in Lu$^+$ ions, achieving high precision and highlighting the importance of hyperfine-mediated corrections.

Findings

Measured quadrupole moments: $ heta(^3D_1)=0.63862(74)\,e a_0^2$ and $ heta(^3D_2)=0.8602(14)\,e a_0^2$

Differential shift technique effectively isolates Coulomb interaction effects

Precision results suggest hyperfine-mediated corrections are significant at this level

Abstract

Precision measurements of the Lu$^+$ $^3D_1$ and $^3D_2$ quadrupole moments have been carried out giving $\Theta(^3D_1)=0.63862(74)\,e a_0^2$ and $\Theta(^3D_2)=0.8602(14)\,e a_0^2$, respectively. The measurements utilize the differential shift between ions in a multi-ion crystal so that effects of external field gradients do not contribute leaving only the well defined Coulomb interaction. At this level of precision, hyperfine-mediated corrections will likely be important.