Laser Spectroscopy for Nuclear Structure and Fundamental Interactions
Prof. Wilfried Nörtershäuser (IKP, TU Darmstadt)

Laser Spectroscopy is a unique tool to study properties of the atomic nucleus or the characteristics of exotic quantum systems. The collinear technique that was developed at the University of Mainz is a particularly powerful and widely applicable approach for such investigations. In my talk, I will highlight this on two examples: The first one is a study of charge radii and electromagnetic moments of short-lived Cd isotopes that have been investigated at ISOLDE/CERN, where we have observed a remarkably linear behavior of the quadrupole moments with increasing neutron number. The second one is collinear laser spectroscopy on a relativistic beam of hydrogen-like and lithium-like bismuth ions to study quantum electrodynamics in the extremely strong fields that are existing close to these heavy nuclei. After observing the hyperfine transition in the lithium-like ion for the first time, we noticed that the measured transition wavelength is in conflict with the most accurate QED calculations when combined with the earlier measurement of the transition in hydrogen-like bismuth.