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HomeNuclear structure and astrophysicsMicrowave double resonance in a Paul trap

Microwave double resonance in a Paul trap


High-precision measurements of the hyperfine anomaly allows quantifying the influence of the nuclear magnetic distribution on the hyperfine structure and this allows to study more precisely the effects on parity non-conservation in isotopic series and to better understand the contribution of the neutrons to the nuclear wave function. To study the hyperfine anomaly along a chain of isotopes, the magnetic hyperfine constant needs to be determined with very high precision. In combination with a precision measurement of the nuclear gyromagnetic factor (using for example \beta-NMR), the hyperfine anomaly can be directly deduced from the magnetic hyperfine constant. The combination of laser and microwave spectroscopy in a Paul trap (where Doppler effects are reduced) gives the necessary precision of the order of 10-9 on the magnetic hyperfine constant and allows reaching the 3rd and 4th order of the hyperfine interaction. Thus higher- order nuclear moments associated with deformations of octupole and hexadecapole character can be investigated in heavy elements. Such studies should be very interesting in the gold isotopes where the hyperfine anomaly can vary between 1 and 10%.