Session 2WC: Atomic Physics for Nuclear Physics and Vice Versa II

Ion traps for precision experiments at rare-isotope-beam facilities

Ion traps first entered experimental nuclear physics when the ISOLTRAP team demonstrated Penning trap mass spectrometry of radionuclides. From then on, the demand for ion traps has grown at radioactive-ion-beam (RIB) facilities since beams can be tailored for the desired experiment. Ion traps have been deployed for beam preparation, from bunching (thereby allowing time coincidences) to beam purification. Isomerically pure beams needed for nuclear-structure investigations can be prepared for trap-assisted or in-trap decay spectroscopy. The latter permits studies of highly charged ions for stellar evolution, which would be impossible with traditional experimental nuclear-physics methods. Moreover, the textbook-like conditions and advanced ion manipulation -- even of a single ion -- permit high-precision experiments. Consequently, the most accurate and precise mass measurements are now performed in Penning traps. After a brief introduction to ion trapping, I will focus on examples which showcase the versatility and utility of the technique at RIB facilities. I will demonstrate how this atomic-physics technique has been integrated into nuclear science, accelerator physics, and chemistry.   

The Atomic and Nuclear Physics of Atomic EDMs

Atomic Electric-Dipole-Moment (EDM) measurements employ low-energy atomic and precision-measurement techniques to measure the effects of elementary particle forces that affect the distribution of charge and mass in the nucleus, which is probed by the atomic electrons. Experiments and their interpretation strongly overlap atomic and nuclear physics in the experimental and theoretical problems presented. On the experimental side, the atomic EDM couples to electric fields while the magnetic dipole moment couples to magnetic fields requiring exquisite control and characerization of the magnetic fields. Measuring the tiny frequency shifts requires clock-comparisons and a large signal-to-noise ratio for frequency resolution much smaller than the linewidths, which are lmitied by observation times. To address the experimental challenges, I will discuss systematic effects related to magnetic fields and techniques of magnetometry and co-magntometery as well as optical pumping and related techniques that enhance signal-to-noise. I will also address the interpretation of atomic EDMs in terms of a set of low-energy parameters that relate to effective-field-theory coefficients, and I will empshaize the need for improved calculations from both atomic-theory and nuclear theory.