6533b7defe1ef96bd1276689
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Measurement of the first ionization potential of astatine by laser ionization spectroscopy
V. N. FedosseevUzi KaldorKatsuhisa NishioMarc HuyseD. V. FedorovNobuaki ImaiNobuaki ImaiEphraim EliavL. CapponiYasuo WakabayashiJ. F. W. LaneM. VenhartL. GhysP. Van Den BerghR.e. RosselB. A. MarshD. RadulovV. LiberatiD. PauwelsSebastian RaederSebastian RaederYuri KudryavtsevU. KösterMustafa RajabaliE. RapisardaM. D. SeliverstovSebastian RotheSebastian RotheKara Marie LynchKara Marie LynchV. PershinaJens LassenT.j. ProcterP. Van DuppenThomas Elias CocoliosS. AntalicAndrei AndreyevD. A. FinkA. M. SjödinKlaus WendtAnastasia BorschevskyStephan FritzscheStephan FritzscheK. SandhuH. De WitteLucia Popescusubject
Other Fields of PhysicsGeneral Physics and Astronomychemistry.chemical_element7. Clean energy01 natural sciencesGeneral Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular BiologyArticlePhysics in GeneralAb initio quantum chemistry methodsCHEMISTRYIonization0103 physical sciencesAtomPhysics::Atomic and Molecular ClustersFACILITYPhysics::Atomic Physics010306 general physicsAstatineSpectroscopyPhysicsMultidisciplinary010308 nuclear & particles physicsGeneral ChemistryION-SOURCEIon source3. Good healthchemistry13. Climate actionIonization energyAtomic physicsValence electrondescription
The radioactive element astatine exists only in trace amounts in nature. Its properties can therefore only be explored by study of the minute quantities of artificially produced isotopes or by performing theoretical calculations. One of the most important properties influencing the chemical behaviour is the energy required to remove one electron from the valence shell, referred to as the ionization potential. Here we use laser spectroscopy to probe the optical spectrum of astatine near the ionization threshold. The observed series of Rydberg states enabled the first determination of the ionization potential of the astatine atom, 9.31751(8) eV. New ab initio calculations are performed to support the experimental result. The measured value serves as a benchmark for quantum chemistry calculations of the properties of astatine as well as for the theoretical prediction of the ionization potential of superheavy element 117, the heaviest homologue of astatine.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-05-01 | Nature Communications |