arXiv subjects

Gonçalo Baptista

Publications and source records attributed to Gonçalo Baptista.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Nuclear Charge Radius of $^9$Be from Muonic Atom Spectroscopy Using a Microcalorimeter

The $2p\to1s$ transition energy in muonic $^9$Be was measured using a metallic magnetic calorimeter, resulting in $E_{2p\to 1s}=33\,391.48(34)\,$eV. The result is 30 times more precise than the previous best measurement and enables the extraction of the corresponding nuclear charge radius $r_c($$^9$Be$)=2.5506(51)\,$fm. It is $2.4$ times more precise than the commonly used value based on electron scattering and differs from it by $2.3$ times the combined uncertainties. This measurement represents the first determination of a nuclear charge radius using muonic x-ray spectroscopy with microcalorimeters.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2026

Theoretical ab initio Evolution of Satellite Intensity near Threshold for Cu K-shell transitions

In this work, we have investigated the evolution of satellite intensity near the ionization threshold for Cu K-shell transitions through theoretical methods. Employing standard state-of-the-art ab initio methods, we have calculated all Cu K-shell transitions and simulated the full K$α_1$ and K$α_2$ spectrum where all transition parameters, as well as shake probabilities were determined theoretically. Through these calculations we show that standard state-of-the-art ab initio methods achieve good agreement with experiment and enable us to simulate the intensity evolution near ionization thresholds within a good margin of error. Below-threshold satellite intensity was found to originate from resonant 1s$\rightarrow$3d and 1s$\rightarrow$4p excitations in Cu(I) and Cu(II) oxide phases respectively, which were included in our simulations.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2026

Shake-up and shake-off spectra in the electron capture decay of atomic $^7$Be

The most stringent laboratory-based experimental limits on the existence of sub-MeV sterile neutrinos are currently set by decay spectroscopy of radioactive $^7$Be embedded into superconducting sensors. The systematic uncertainties are dominated by the modeling of the electron shake-up and shake-off spectra that are not based on state-of-the-art atomic theory and do not include electron correlations or relativistic effects. We have used the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock formalism to obtain correlated wavefunctions ab initio and compute all single and double shake processes in the electron capture decay of atomic $^7$Be. The simulations can explain some but not all of the observed spectral features, likely because the wave functions are modified by the Ta sensor material that the $^7$Be is embedded into. The new models also show that the L/K electron capture ratio of $^7$Be in Ta has previously been slightly underestimated revising the previous value of 0.070(7) to a new value of 0.0756(20).

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2025

Towards Precision Spectroscopy of Antiprotonic Atoms for Probing Strong-field QED

PAX (antiProtonic Atom X-ray spectroscopy) is a new experiment with the aim to test strong-field quantum electrodynamics (QED) effects by performing high-precision x-ray spectroscopy of antiprotonic atoms. By utilizing advanced microcalorimeter detection techniques and a low-energy antiproton beam provided by the ELENA ring at CERN, gaseous targets will be used for the creation of antiprotonic atoms, and the measurement of transitions between circular Rydberg states will be conducted with up to two orders of magnitude improved accuracy over previous studies using high-purity germanium detectors. Our approach eliminates the longstanding issue of nuclear uncertainties that have hindered prior studies using highly charged ions, thus enabling direct and purely QED-focused measurements. By precisely probing atomic systems with electric fields up to two orders of magnitude above the Schwinger limit, PAX will test vacuum polarization and second-order QED corrections, opening new frontiers in fundamental physics and uncovering potential pathways to physics beyond the Standard Model.

physics.atom-ph↗