Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Quantum Electrodynamics, High-Resolution Spectroscopy and Fundamental Constants

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Exploring the World with the Laser

  • 2447 Accesses

Abstract

Recent progress in high-resolution spectroscopy has delivered us a variety of accurate optical results, which can be used for the determination of the atomic fundamental constants and for constraining their possible time variation. We present a brief overview of the results discussing in particular, the determination of the Rydberg constant, the relative atomic weight of the electron and proton, their mass ratio and the fine structure constant. Many individual results on those constants are obtained with use of quantum electrodynamics, and we discuss which sectors of QED are involved. We derive constraints on a possible time variation of the fine structure constants and \( {m}_e/{m}_p \).

This article is part of the topical collection “Enlightening the World with the Laser” - Honoring T. W. Hänsch guest edited by Tilman Esslinger, Nathalie Picqué, and Thomas Udem.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The Committee on Data for Science and Technology of the International Council for Science.

  2. 2.

    The Atomic Mass Data Center of the Nuclear Data Services of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

  3. 3.

    The QED is the ‘overall’ theory of the electromagnetic interactions of the electron. That means that the Schrödinger and Dirac energy levels in hydrogen could be (and have numerously been) rederived from QED. They are indeed a part of QED, but they can be found in more simple approaches than QED.

References

  1. J. Reichert, M. Niering, R. Holzwarth, M. Weitz, Th. Udem, T.W. Hänsch, Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 3232 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. R. Holzwarth, Th. Udem, T.W. Hänsch, J.C. Knight, W.J. Wadsworth, P.St.J. Russell, Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 2264 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  3. S.A. Diddams, D.J. Jones, J. Ye, S.T. Cundiff, J.L. Hall, J.K. Ranka, R.S. Windeler, R. Holzwarth, Th. Udem, T.W. Hänsch, Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 5102 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. P.J. Mohr, D.B. Newell, B.N. Taylor, CODATA recommended values of the fundamental physical constants: 2014. Rev. Mod. Phys. 88, 035009 (2016)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. M. Niering, R. Holzwarth, J. Reichert, P. Pokasov, M. Th Udem, T.W. Weitz, P. Hänsch, G. Lemonde, M. Santarelli, P. Abgrall, C. Laurent, C. Salomon, A.Clairon, Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 5496 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. M. Fischer, N. Kolachevsky, M. Zimmermann, R. Holzwarth, T. Udem, T.W. Hänsch, M. Abgrall, J. Grünert, I. Maksimovic, S. Bize, H. Marion, F.P. Dos Santos, P. Lemonde, G. Santarelli, P. Laurent, A. Clairon, C. Salomon, M. Haas, U.D. Jentschura, C.H. Keitel, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 230802 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. A. Huber, T. Udem, B. Gross, J. Reichert, M. Kourogi, K. Pachucki, M. Weitz, T.W. Hänsch, Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 468 (1998)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. C.G. Parthey, A. Matveev, J. Alnis, R. Pohl, T. Udem, U.D. Jentschura, N. Kolachevsky, T.W. Hänsch, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 233001 (2010)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. C.G. Parthey, A. Matveev, J. Alnis, B. Bernhardt, A. Beyer, R. Holzwarth, A. Maistrou, R. Pohl, K. Predehl, T. Udem, T. Wilken, N. Kolachevsky, M. Abgrall, D. Rovera, C. Salomon, P. Laurent, T.W. Hänsch, Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 203001 (2011)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. A. Matveev, C.G. Parthey, K. Predehl, J. Alnis, A. Beyer, R. Holzwarth, T. Udem, T. Wilken, N. Kolachevsky, M. Abgrall, D. Rovera, C. Salomon, P. Laurent, G. Grosche, O. Terra, T. Legero, H. Schnatz, S. Weyers, B. Altschul, T.W. Hänsch, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 230801 (2013)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. R. de Beauvoir, F. Nez, B. Cagnac, F. Biraben, D. Touahri, L. Hilico, O. Acef, A. Clairon, J.J. Zondy, Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 440 (1997)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. C. Schwob, L. Jozefowski, B. de Beauvoir, L. Hilico, F. Nez, L. Julien, F. Biraben, O. Acef, A. Clairon, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4960 (1999)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. C. Schwob, L. Jozefowski, B. de Beauvoir, L. Hilico, F. Nez, L. Julien, F. Biraben, O. Acef, A. Clairon, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 4193 (2001). Errata

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. S. Sturm, F. Köhler, J. Zatorski, A. Wagner, Z. Harman, G. Werth, W. Quint, C.H. Keitel, K. Blaum, Nature 506, 467 (2014)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. S. Sturm, A. Wagner, M. Kretzschmar, W. Quint, G. Werth, K. Blaum, Phys. Rev. A 87, 030501 (2013)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. T. Beier, H. Häffner, N. Hermanspahn, S.G. Karshenboim, H.-J. Kluge, W. Quint, S. Stahl, J. Verdú, G. Werth, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 011603 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. H. Häffner, T. Beier, S. Djekić, N. Hermanspahn, H.-J. Kluge, W. Quint, S. Stahl, J. Verdú, T. Valenzuela, G. Werth, Eur. Phys. J. D 22, 163 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. J. Verdú, S. Djekić, S. Stahl, T. Valenzuela, M. Vogel, G. Werth, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 093002 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. M. Hori, A. Dax, J. Eades, K. Gomikawa, R. Hayano, N. Ono, W. Pirkl, E. Widmann, H.A. Torii, B. Juhász, D. Barna, D. Horváth, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 243401 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. V.I. Korobov, Phys. Rev. A 77, 042506 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. M. Hori, A. Sótér, D. Barna, A. Dax, R. Hayano, S. Friedreich, B. Juhász, Th. Pask, E. Widmann, D. Horváth, L. Venturelli, N. Zurlo, Nature 475, 484 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. J.C.J. Koelemeij, B. Roth, A. Wicht, I. Ernsting, S. Schiller, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 173002 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. V.I. Korobov, Phys. Rev. A 74, 052506 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. S. Schiller, V. Korobov, Phys. Rev. A 71, 032505 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. U. Bressel, A. Borodin, J. Shen, M. Hansen, I. Ernsting, S. Schiller, Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 183003 (2012)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. V.I. Korobov, Phys. Rev. A 77, 022509 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. J. Biesheuvel, J-Ph Karr, L. Hilico, K.S.E. Eikema, W. Ubachs, J.C.J. Koelemeij, Nat. Commun. 7, 10385 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. V.I. Korobov, L. Hilico, J-Ph Karr, mα7-order corrections in the hydrogen molecular ions and antiprotonic helium. Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 103003 (2014)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  29. V.I. Korobov, L. Hilico, J-Ph Karr, Phys. Rev. A 89, 032511 (2014)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  30. R. Bouchendira, P. Cladé, S. Guellati-Khélifa, F. Nez, F. Biraben, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 080801 (2011)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  31. S.-Y. Lan, P.-C. Kuan, B. Estey, D. English, J.M. Brown, M.A. Hohensee, H. Müller, Science 339, 554 (2013)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  32. D. Hanneke, S. Fogwell Hoogerheide, G. Gabrielse, Phys. Rev. A 83, 052122 (2011)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  33. T. Aoyama, M. Hayakawa, T. Kinoshita, M. Nio, Phys. Rev. D 91, 033006 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  34. R.S. Van Dyck, Jr, P.B. Schwinberg, H.G. Dehmelt, Phys. Rev. Lett. 59, 26 (1987)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  35. A. Wicht, J.M. Hensley, E. Sarajlic, S. Chu, Phys. Scr. T102, 82 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  36. J.S. Borbely, M.C. George, L.D. Lombardi, M. Weel, D.W. Fitzakerley, E.A. Hessels, Phys. Rev. A 79, 060503 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  37. K. Pachucki and V.A. Yerokhin, Phys. Rev. A 79, 062516 (2009), A81, 039903(E) (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  38. W. Liu, M.G. Boshier, S. Dhawan, O. van Dyck, P. Egan, X. Fei, M. Grosse Perdekamp, V.W. Hughes, M. Janousch, K. Jungmann, D. Kawall, F.G. Mariam, C. Pillai, R. Prigl, G. zu Putlitz, I. Reinhard, W. Schwarz, P.A. Thompson, K.A. Woodle, Phys. Rev. Lett 82, 711 (1999)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  39. A. Antognini, F. Nez, K. Schuhmann, F.D. Amaro, F. Biraben, J.M.R. Cardoso, D.S. Covita, A. Dax, S. Dhawan, M. Diepold, L.M.P. Fernandes, A. Giesen, A.L. Gouvea, T. Graf, T.W. Hänsch, P. Indelicato, L. Julien, Cheng-Yang Kao, P. Knowles, F. Kottmann, E.-O. Le Bigot, Yi-Wei Liu, J.A.M. Lopes, L. Ludhova, C.M.B. Monteiro, F. Mulhauser, T. Nebel, P. Rabinowitz, J.M.F. dos Santos, L.A. Schaller, C. Schwob, D. Taqqu, J.F.C.A. Veloso, J. Vogelsang, R. Pohl, Science 339, 417 (2013)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  40. S.G. Karshenboim, E.Y. Korzinin, V.A. Shelyuto, V.G. Ivanov, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data 44, 031202 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  41. G.P. Lepage, Phys. Rev. A 16, 863 (1977)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  42. G.T. Bodwin, D.R. Yennie, M.A. Gregorio, Rev. Mod. Phys. 57, 723 (1985)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  43. M.I. Eides, S.G. Karshenboim, V.A. Shelyuto, Ann. Phys. 205, 231 (1991)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  44. J. Sapirstein, D.R. Yennie, in Quantum Electrodynamics, ed. by T. Kinoshita (World Science, Singapore, 1990), pp. 560–672

    Google Scholar 

  45. M.I. Eides, H. Grotch, V.A. Shelyuto, Theory of Light Hydrogenic Bound States (Springer, Berlin, 2007)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  46. H. Grotch, D.R. Yennie, Z. Phys. 202, 425 (1967)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  47. W.E. Caswell, G.P. Lepage, Phys. Lett. B 167, 437 (1986)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  48. K. Pachucki, U.D. Jentschura, V.A. Yerokhin, Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 150401 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  49. K. Pachucki, U.D. Jentschura, V.A. Yerokhin, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 229902 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  50. K. Pachucki, A. Czarnecki, U.D. Jentschura, V.A. Yerokhin, Phys. Rev. A 72, 022108 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  51. S.G. Karshenboim, Phys. Rep. 422, 1 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  52. E.R. Cohen, B.N. Taylor, J. Phys. Chem. Rev. Data 2, 663 (1973)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  53. E.R. Cohen, B.N. Taylor, Rev. Mod. Phys. 59, 1121 (1987)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  54. P.J. Mohr, B.N. Taylor, Rev. Mod. Phys. 72, 351 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  55. P.J. Mohr, B.N. Taylor, Rev. Mod. Phys. 77, 1 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  56. P.J. Mohr, B.N. Taylor, D.B. Newell, Rev. Mod. Phys. 80, 633 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  57. P.J. Mohr, B.N. Taylor, D.B. Newell, Rev. Mod. Phys. 84, 1527 (2012)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  58. S.G. Karshenboim, Phys. Usp. 48, 255 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  59. S.G. Karshenboim, Eur. Phys. J. Special Top. 172, 385 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  60. S.G. Karshenboim, Phys. Usp. 56, 883 (2013)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  61. S.G. Karshenboim, Ann. Phys. 525, 472 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  62. S.G. Karshenboim, P.J. Mohr, D.B. Newell, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data 44, 031101 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  63. I. Sick, in Precision Physics of Simple Atoms and Molecules, ed. by S.G. Karshenboim (Springer, Berlin, 2007), pp. 57–77

    Google Scholar 

  64. S.G. Karshenboim, Phys. Rev. A 91, 012515 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  65. J. Arrington, I. Sick, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data 44, 031204 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  66. G. Audi, M. Wang, A.H. Wapstra, F.G. Kondev, M. MacCormick, X. Xu, B. Pfeiffer, The AME2012 atomic mass evaluation (I). Evaluation of input data, adjustment procedures. Chin. Phys. C 36, 1287 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  67. M. Wang, G. Audi, A.H. Wapstra, F.G. Kondev, M. MacCormick, X. Xu, B. Pfeiffer, The AME2012 atomic mass evaluation. (II). Tables, graphs and references. Chin. Phys. C 36, 1603 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  68. S.L. Zafonte, R.S. Van Dyck, Metrologia 52, 280 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  69. E.G. Myers, A. Wagner, H. Kracke, B.A. Wesson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 013003 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  70. V.A. Yerokhin, U.D. Jentschura, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 163001 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  71. V.A. Yerokhin, U.D. Jentschura, Phys. Rev. A 81, 012502 (2010)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  72. D.L. Farnham, R.S. Van Dyck Jr., P.B. Schwinberg, Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 3598 (1995)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  73. T. Yamazaki, N. Morita, R.S. Hayano, E. Widmann, J. Eades, Phys. Rep. 366, 183 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  74. R.S. Hayano, M. Hori, D. Horváth, E. Widmann, Rep. Prog. Phys. 70, 1995 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  75. V.I. Korobov, in Precise Spectroscopy of Antiprotonic Helium and Sensitivity of Transitions to the Antiproton Mass, ed. A. Hirtl et al. Proceedings of International Conference on Exotic Atoms and Related Topics (EXA05) (Vienna, 2005), (Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, 2005), pp. 391–400

    Google Scholar 

  76. M.P. Savedoff, Nature (London) 178, 688 (1956)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  77. R.I. Thompson, Astrophys. Lett. 16, 3 (1975)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  78. J.D. Prestage, R.L. Tjoelker, L. Maleki, Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 3511 (1995)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  79. V.A. Dzuba, V.V. Flambaum, J.K. Webb, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 888 (1999)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  80. V.A. Dzuba, V.V. Flambaum, J.K. Webb, Phys. Rev. A 59, 230 (1999)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  81. V.A. Dzuba, V.V. Flambaum, Phys. Rev. A 61, 034502 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  82. E. Peik, B. Lipphardt, H. Schnatz, T. Schneider, Chr Tamm, S.G. Karshenboim, Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 170801 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  83. S.G. Karshenboim, V.V. Flambaum, E. Peik, in Springer Handbook of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, ed. by G.W.F.Drake (Springer, NY, 2005), pp. 455-463

    Google Scholar 

  84. S.G. Karshenboim, E. Peik, Eur. Phys. J. Special Top. 163, 1 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  85. N. Huntemann, B. Lipphardt, C. Tamm, V. Gerginov, S. Weyers, E. Peik, Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 210802 (2014)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  86. S.G. Karshenboim, E. Peik (eds.), Astrophysics, Clocks and Fundamental Constants (Springer, Berlin, 2004)

    Google Scholar 

  87. S.G. Karshenboim, Gen. Rel. Grav. 38, 159 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  88. J. Guéna, M. Abgrall, D. Rovera, P. Rosenbusch, M.E. Tobar, Ph. Laurent, S.Bize, A. Clairon, Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 080801 (2012)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  89. A. Shelkovnikov, R.J. Butcher, C. Chardonnet, A. Amy-Klein, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 150801 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  90. V.V. Flambaum, A.F. Tedesco, Phys. Rev. C 73, 055501 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  91. T.H. Dinh, A. Dunning, V.A. Dzuba, V.V. Flambaum, Phys. Rev. A 79, 054102 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  92. S.G. Karshenboim, Can. J. Phys. 78, 639 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Victor Flambaum, Masaki Hori, Vladimir Korobov, Krzysztof Pachucki and Wolfgang Quint for useful discussions.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, 85748, Garching, Germany

    Savely G. Karshenboim

  2. Pulkovo Observatory, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 196140

    Savely G. Karshenboim & Vladimir G. Ivanov

Authors
  1. Savely G. Karshenboim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Vladimir G. Ivanov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Savely G. Karshenboim .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Applied Physics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Dieter Meschede

  2. Max-Planck-Institute for Quantenoptik (MPQ), Garching, Germany

    Thomas Udem

  3. Institute for Quantum Electronics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Tilman Esslinger

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Karshenboim, S.G., Ivanov, V.G. (2018). Quantum Electrodynamics, High-Resolution Spectroscopy and Fundamental Constants. In: Meschede, D., Udem, T., Esslinger, T. (eds) Exploring the World with the Laser. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64346-5_15

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation