Measurement of a helium tune-out frequency: an independent test of quantum electrodynamics

Abstract

Despite quantum electrodynamics (QED) being one of the most stringently tested theories underpinning modern physics, recent precision atomic spectroscopy measurements have uncovered several small discrepancies between experiment and theory. One particularly powerful experimental observable that tests QED independently of traditional energy level measurements is the `tune-out' frequency, where the dynamic polarizability vanishes and the atom does not interact with applied laser light. In this work, we measure the `tune-out' frequency for the $2^3{S}_1$ state of helium between transitions to the $2^{3}P$ and $3^{3}P$ manifolds and compare it to new theoretical QED calculations. The experimentally determined value of $725736700$$(40_{\mathrm{stat}},260_{\mathrm{syst}})$ MHz is within $\sim 1.7\sigma$ of theory ($725736252(9)$ MHz), and importantly resolves both the QED contributions ($\sim 30\sigma$) and novel retardation ($\sim 2\sigma$) corrections.

Main text 6 pages, 4 figures, SI 21 pages 11 figures. Changed title from "Precision Measurement of the Helium $2^3{S}_1-2^{3}P/3^{3}P$ Tune-Out Frequency as a Test of QED"

References in corpus (12)

• Species-specific optical lattices
• Tenth-Order Electron Anomalous Magnetic Moment --- Contribution of Diagrams without Closed Lepton Loops
• The proton charge radius
• Precision Measurement of Transition Matrix Elements via Light Shift Cancellation
• QED calculation of the dipole polarizability of helium atom
• Complete ${\alpha }^{7}m$ Lamb shift of helium triplet states
• Helium energy levels including $m{\alpha }^6$ corrections
• Frequency-dependent polarizability of helium including relativistic effects with nuclear recoil terms
• QED and relativistic nuclear recoil corrections to the 413 nm tune-out wavelength for the $2{}^3{S}_1$ state of helium
• Refractive index and generalized polarizability
• Trap Frequency Measurement with a Pulsed Atom Laser
• Equation of motion for a bound system of charged particles

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Variational versus perturbative relativistic energies for small and light atomic and molecular systems
• State-dependent potentials for the ${}^1{\text{S}}_0$ and ${}^3{\text{P}}_0$ clock states of neutral ytterbium atoms
• Production of a highly degenerate Fermi gas of metastable helium-3 atoms
• Measurement of the $s$-wave scattering length between metastable helium isotopes
• Relativistic hyperpolarizabilities for atomic H, Li, and Be${}^{+}$ systems
• Pulse Breathing Dynamics in a Mode-Locked Laser measured via SHG autocorrelation