No Arabic abstract
Effect of the electric quadrupole moment, $Q$, is studied for positron-atom bound systems. It is demonstrated that for $Q >50$ a.u. the electric quadrupole potential is sufficiently strong to bind positron (or electron) even in the absence of the dipole polarization potential. Such large values of $Q$ are not known for atomic ground states, however, they exist in molecules and excited atoms. In the state $2s2p~^3P^o_2$ of beryllium, the quadrupole contribution makes difference between stable bound state and decay to Be$^+$ ion and positronium. In a majority of atoms the quadrupole contribution is small and can be neglected.
The values of nuclear electric quadrupole moment are different by about 7% for 87Sr nucleus between the recommended value [N. J. Stone, At. Data Nucl. Data Tables 111-112, 1 (2016); P. Pyykko, Mol. Phys. 116, 1328 (2018)] and earlier results [e.g. A. M. Matensson-Pendrill, J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 35, 917 (2002); K. Z. Yu et al., Phys. Rev. A 70, 012506 (2004)]. In this work, we reported a new value, Q(87Sr) = 328(4) mb, making use of our calculated electric field gradients produced by electrons at nucleus in combination with experimental values for hyperfine structures of the 5s5p 3P1,2 states of the neutral Sr atom. In the framework of the multi-configuration Dirac-Hartree-Fock theory, the electron correlations were taken into account systematically so as to control the uncertainties of the electric field gradient at about 1% level. The present result is different from the recommended value, but in excellent agreement with those by Matensson-Pendrill and Yu et al.. We would recommend the present Q value as a reference for 87Sr.
Hartree-Fock atom in a strong electric static field is considered. It is demonstrated that exchange between outer and inner electrons, taken into account by the so-called Fock term affects strongly the long-range behavior of the inner electron wave function. As a result, it dramatically increases its probability to be ionized. A simple model is analyzed demonstrating that the decay probability, compared to the case of a local (Hartree) atomic potential, increases by many orders of magnitude. As a result of such increase, the ratio of inner to outer electrons ionization probability became not too small. It is essential that the effect of exchange upon probability of inner electron ionization by strong electric field is proportional to the square of the number of outer electrons. It signals that in clusters the inner electron ionization by strong field, the very fact of which is manifested by e.g. high energy quanta emission, has to be essentially increased as compared to this process in gaseous atomic objects.
Ground-state electric quadrupole moment of 31Al (I =5/2+, T_1/2 = 644(25) ms) has been measured by means of the beta-NMR spectroscopy using a spin-polarized 31Al beam produced in the projectile fragmentation reaction. The obtained Q moment, |Q_exp(31Al)| = 112(32)emb, are in agreement with conventional shell model calculations within the sd valence space. Previous result on the magnetic moment also supports the validity of the sd model in this isotope, and thus it is concluded that 31Al is located outside of the island of inversion.
Recent advances in the high sensitivity spectroscopy have made it possible, in combination with accurate theoretical predictions, to observe for the first time very weak electric quadrupole transitions in a polar polyatomic molecule of water. Here we present accurate theoretical predictions of the complete quadrupole ro-vibrational spectrum of a non-polar molecule CO$_2$, important in atmospheric and astrophysical applications. Our predictions are validated by recent cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy measurements and are used to assign few weak features in the recent ExoMars ACS MIR spectroscopic observations of the martian atmosphere. Predicted quadrupole transitions appear in some of the mid-infrared CO$_2$ and water vapor transparency regions, making them important for detection and characterization of the minor absorbers in water- and CO$_2$-rich environments, such as present in the atmospheres of Earth, Venus and Mars.
We propose an experimental search for an axion-induced oscillating electric dipole moment (OEDM) for electrons using state-of-the-art alkali vapor-cell atomic magnetometers. The axion is a hypothesized new fundamental particle which can resolve the strong charge-parity problem and be a prominent dark matter candidate. This experiment utilizes an atomic magnetometer as both a source of optically polarized electron spins and a magnetic-field sensor. The interaction of the axion field, oscillating at a frequency equal to the axion mass, with an electron spin induces a sizable OEDM of the electron at the same frequency as the axion field. When the alkali vapor is subjected to an electric field and a magnetic field, the electron OEDM interacts with the electric field, resulting in an electron spin precession at the spins Larmor frequency in the magnetic field. The resulting precession signal can be sensitively detected with a probe laser beam of the atomic magnetometer. We estimate that the experiment is sensitive to the axion-photon interaction in ultralight axion masses from $10^{-15}$ to $10^{-10}$~eV. It is able to improve the current experimental limit up to 5 orders of magnitude, exploring new axion parameter spaces.