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arXiv · 2409.17979

Vacuum polarization corrections to hyperfine structure in many-electron atoms

J. C. Hasted·C. J. Fairhall·O. R. Smits·B. M. Roberts·J. S. M. Ginges
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Abstract

We perform a theoretical study of vacuum polarization corrections to the hyperfine structure in many-electron atoms. Calculations are performed for systems of interest for precision atomic tests of fundamental physics belonging to the alkali-metal atoms and singly-ionized alkaline earths. The vacuum polarization is considered in the Uehling approximation, and we study the many-body effects core relaxation, core polarization, and valence-core correlations in the relativistic framework. We find that for s states, the relative vacuum polarization correction may be well-approximated by that for hydrogenlike ions, though for all other states account of many-body effects -- in particular, the polarization of the core -- is needed to obtain the correct sign and magnitude of the correction.

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J. C. Hasted, C. J. Fairhall, O. R. Smits, B. M. Roberts, J. S. M. Ginges. 2024-09-26. Vacuum polarization corrections to hyperfine structure in many-electron atoms. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.111.032812

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