Speaker
Description
One avenue to test and advance nuclear structure theory is by comparing the hyperfine energy splitting measured by experiment, to those calculated theoretically. In this talk I will share our recent advances on precision atomic hyperfine calculations of heavy atoms and exotic muonic atoms. I will highlight the motivation to study these two atomic classes.
The hyperfine structure arises in odd isotopes from the interaction of the magnetic field produced by the electron with the magnetic moment of the nucleus. To accurately calculate the energy splitting, the charge distribution of the protons and the magnetic distribution of the unbound nucleon must be accounted for. QED effects and nuclear polarisation may also lead to considerable contributions.
Muons are about 207 times heavier than an electron, but other than that have the same fundamental properties and, just like an electron, can orbit an atomic nucleus. Due to its mass, the orbit of the muon is much closer to the nucleus, making it very sensitive to the effects of the nuclear structure. Heavy atoms, on the other hand, have many electrons and large nuclei, posing its own numerical challenges.
