Direct Determination of the Magnetic Quadrupole Contribution to the Lyman-alpha(1) Transition in a Hydrogenlike Ion

作者：Weber G^*; Braeuning H; Surzhykov A; Brandau C; Fritzsche S; Geyer S; Hagmann S; Hess S; Kozhuharov C; Maertin R; Petridis N; Reuschl R; Spillmann U; Trotsenko S; Winters D F A; Stoehlker Th

来源：Physical Review Letters, 2010, 105(24): 243002.

DOI：10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.243002

We report the observation of an interference between the electric dipole (E1) and the magnetic quadrupole (M2) amplitudes for the linear polarization of the Ly-alpha(1) (2p(3/2) -> 1s(1/2)) radiation of hydrogenlike uranium. This multipole mixing arises from the coupling of the ion to different multipole components of the radiation field. Our observation indicates a significant depolarization of the Ly-alpha(1) radiation due to the E1-M2 amplitude mixing. It proves that a combined measurement of the linear polarization and of the angular distribution enables a very precise determination of the ratio of the E1 and the M2 transition amplitudes and the corresponding transition rates without any assumptions concerning the population mechanism for the 2p(3/2) state.

• 出版日期2010-12-9