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Title: The Effect of Quantum-Mechanical Interference on Precise Measurements of the n = 2 Triplet P Fine Structure of Helium

Journal Article · · Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4922796· OSTI ID:22493962

For many decades, improvements in both theory and experiment of the fine structure of the n = 2 triplet P levels of helium have allowed for an increasingly precise determination of the fine-structure constant. Recently, it has been observed that quantum-mechanical interference between neighboring resonances can cause significant shifts, even if such neighboring resonances are separated by thousands of natural widths. The shifts depend in detail on the experimental method used for the measurement, as well as the specific experimental parameters employed. Here, we review how these shifts apply for the most precise measurements of the helium 2{sup 3}P fine-structure intervals.

OSTI ID:
22493962
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, Vol. 44, Issue 3; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0047-2689
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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