Isotope shift, non-linearity of King plots and the search for new particles

2017

We derive a mean-field relativistic formula for the isotope shift of an electronic energy level for arbitrary angular momentum; we then use it to predict the spectra of superheavy metastable neutron-rich isotopes belonging to the hypothetical island of stability. Our results may be applied to the search for superheavy atoms in astrophysical spectra using the known values of the transition frequencies for the neutron deficient isotopes produced in the laboratory. An example of a relevant astrophysical system may be the spectra of the Przybylski's star where superheavy elements up to Z=99 have been possibly identified. In addition, it has been recently suggested to use the measurements of Kin…

Prediction of quantum many-body chaos in protactinium atom

2017

Energy level spectrum of protactinium atom (Pa, Z=91) is simulated with a CI calculation. Levels belonging to the separate manifolds of a given total angular momentum and parity $J^\pi$ exhibit distinct properties of many-body quantum chaos. Moreover, an extremely strong enhancement of small perturbations takes place. As an example, effective three-electron interaction is investigated and found to play a significant role in the system. Chaotic properties of the eigenstates allow one to develop a statistical theory and predict probabilities of different processes in chaotic systems.

Intrinsic quantum chaos and spectral fluctuations within the protactinium atom

2018

Dependence of atomic parity-violation effects on neutron skins and new physics

2019

We estimate the relative contribution of nuclear structure and new physics couplings to the parity non-conserving spin-independent effects in atomic systems, for both single isotopes and isotopic ratios. General expressions are presented to assess the sensitivity of isotopic ratios to neutron skins and to couplings beyond standard model at tree level. The specific coefficients for these contributions are calculated assuming Fermi distribution for proton and neutron nuclear densities for isotopes of Cs, Ba, Sm, Dy, Yb, Pb, Fr, and Ra. The present work aims to provide a guide to the choice of the best isotopes and pairs of isotopes for conducting atomic PNC measurements.

Nuclear polarization effects in atoms and ions

2021

In heavy atoms and ions, nuclear structure effects are significantly enhanced due to the overlap of the electron wave functions with the nucleus. This overlap rapidly increases with the nuclear charge $Z$. We study the energy level shifts induced by the electric dipole and electric quadrupole nuclear polarization effects in atoms and ions with $Z \geq 20$. The electric dipole polarization effect is enhanced by the nuclear giant dipole resonance. The electric quadrupole polarization effect is enhanced because the electrons in a heavy atom or ion move faster than the rotation of the deformed nucleus, thus experiencing significant corrections to the conventional approximation in which they `se…