Abstract
We have investigated the hyperfine structure of the transition between the ground state and the excited state in the negative osmium ion by high-resolution collinear laser spectroscopy. This transition is unique because it is the only known electric-dipole transition in atomic anions and might be amenable to laser cooling. From the observed hyperfine structure in and the yet unknown total angular momentum of the bound excited state was found to be . The hyperfine structure constants of the ground state and the excited state were determined experimentally and compared to multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock calculations. Using the knowledge of the ground and excited state angular momenta, the full energy level diagram of in an external magnetic field was calculated, revealing possible laser cooling transitions.
- Received 17 December 2009
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.073004
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