Accurate Determination of Electric-Dipole Matrix Elements in K and Rb From Stark Shift Measurements

Published

November 30, 2007

Author(s)

B Arora, M S. Safronova, Charles W. Clark

Abstract

Stark shifts of potassium and rubidium D1 lines have been measured with high precision by Miller et al [1]. In this work, we combine these measurements with our all-order calculations to determine the values of the electric-dipole matrix elements for the 4pj - 3dj0 transitions in K and for the 5pj -4dj0 transitions in Rb to high precision. The 4p1/2-3d3/2 and 5p1/2-4d3/2 transitions contribute on the order of 90% to the respective polarizabilities of the np1/2 states in K and Rb, andthe remaining 10% can be accurately calculated using the relativistic all-order method. Therefore, the combination of the experimental data and theoretical calculations allows us to determine the np - (n - 1)d matrix elements and their uncertainties. We compare these values with our all-order calculations of the np-(n-1)d matrix elements in K and Rb for a benchmark test of the accuracyof the all-order method for transitions involving nd states. Such matrix elements are of special interest for many applications, such as determination of magic wavelengths in alkali-metal atoms for state-insensitive cooling and trapping and determination of blackbody radiation shifts in optical frequency standards with ions.

Citation

Physical Review A (Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics)

Volume

76

Issue

052516

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

atomic structure, polarizabilityu, potassium, rubidium, Stark effect

Citation

Arora, B. , Safronova, M. and Clark, C. (2007), Accurate Determination of Electric-Dipole Matrix Elements in K and Rb From Stark Shift Measurements, Physical Review A (Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics), [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=840267 (Accessed October 18, 2025)