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Three visible lines of M1 transitions from In-like tungsten were recorded using the Shanghai Permanent Magnet Electron Beam Ion Trap. The experimental wavelengths were measured as 493.84 ± 0.15, 226.97 ± 0.13 and 587.63 ± 0.23 nm (vacuum wavelengths). These results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions obtained using the large-scale relativistic many-body perturbation theory, in the form of the flexible atomic code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an overview of recent work on the spectroscopy of tungsten ions, related to tokamak edge plasma. The spectra were recorded from the newly-built low energy electron beam ion traps (EBITs) in the Shanghai EBIT laboratory. By analyzing the spectra with the help of accurate theoretical calculations, using state-of-the-art techniques, we were able to identify term and fine structure splittings in the ground and the first excited configuration for a number of charge states. The theoretical models included a careful study of correlation and showed an excellent agreement with our experimental results for transition energies and rates. Some metastable levels which have extremely long lifetime and high population were found, and the influences of these levels on the charge state distribution of tungsten ions in tokamaks are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our previous work, the agreement between the theoretical and measured wavelength for the 4f-M1 transition of Ag-like W shed light on the importance of a careful treatment of all core-valence correlation effects to obtain a reliable value of this fine structure energy separation. To confirm these results and extend the analysis isoelectronically, we have undertaken an experimental and theoretical study of the same M1 transition in Ag-like Yb. The measured wavelength for this M1 transition is 515.77 ± 0.10 nm (515.91 nm in vacuum) which agrees well with our ab initio theoretical value of 515.48 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser cooling is a well-established technique for the creation of ensembles of ultracold neutral atoms or positive ions. This ability has opened many exciting new research fields over the past 40 years. However, no negatively charged ions have been directly laser cooled because a cycling transition is very rare in atomic anions. Efforts of more than a decade currently have La^{-} as the most promising candidate. We report on experimental and theoretical studies supporting Th^{-} as a new promising candidate for laser cooling. The measured and calculated electron affinities of Th are, respectively, 4901.35(48)  cm^{-1} and 4832  cm^{-1}, or 0.607 690(60) and 0.599 eV, almost a factor of 2 larger than the previous theoretical value of 0.368 eV. The ground state of Th^{-} is determined to be 6d^{3}7s^{2} ^{4}F_{3/2}^{e} rather than 6d^{2}7s^{2}7p ^{4}G_{5/2}^{o}. The consequence of this is that there are several strong electric dipole transitions between the bound levels arising from configurations 6d^{3}7s^{2} and 6d^{2}7s^{2}7p in Th^{-}. The potential laser-cooling transition is ^{2}S_{1/2}^{o}↔^{4}F_{3/2}^{e} with a wavelength of 2.6  μm. The zero nuclear spin and hence lack of hyperfine structure in Th^{-} reduces the potential complications in laser cooling as encountered in La^{-}, making Th^{-} a new and exciting candidate for laser cooling.

A tenet of time-resolved spectroscopy is "faster laser pulses for shorter timescales". Here, we suggest turning this paradigm around, and slowing down the system dynamics via repeated measurements, to do spectroscopy on longer timescales. This is the principle of the quantum Zeno effect. We exemplify our approach with the Auger process, and find that repeated measurements increase the core-hole lifetime, redistribute the kinetic energy of Auger electrons, and alter entanglement formation. We further provide an explicit experimental protocol for atomic Li, to make our proposal concrete.

A Comment on the Letter by Mendoza and Bautista [Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 163002 (2017)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.118.163002].

We report on the first theoretical investigation of M(F)-dependent lifetimes due to interference between a magnetic octupole transition and a hyperfine induced electric quadrupole transition. Extensive multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock calculations are used to model the hyperfine quenching of the magnetic octupole decay of 3d(9)4s 3D3 and the state mixing between the 3D3 and 3D2 due to hyperfine interaction in nickel-like Xe26+.

Observations of the planetary nebula NGC3918 made with the STIS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope reveal the first unambiguous detection of a hyperfine-induced transition 2s2p 3P(o)(0)-->2s2 1S0 in the berylliumlike emission line spectrum of N IV at 1487.89 A. A nebular model allows us to confirm a transition rate of 4x10(-4) sec(-1)+/-33% for this line. The measurement represents the first independent confirmation of the transition rate of hyperfine-induced lines in low ionization stages, and it provides support for the techniques used to compute these transitions for the determination of very low densities and isotope ratios.