Abstract
We develop a broadly applicable approach that drastically increases the ability to predict the properties of complex atoms accurately. We apply it to the case of , which is of particular interest for the development of novel atomic clocks with a high sensitivity to the variation of the fine-structure constant and to dark matter searches. In general, clock transitions are weak and very difficult to identify without accurate theoretical predictions. In the case of , even stronger electric-dipole () transitions have eluded observation despite years of effort, raising the possibility that the theoretical predictions are grossly wrong. In this work, we provide accurate predictions of the transition wavelengths and transition rates for . Our results explain the lack of observations of the transitions and provide a pathway toward the detection of clock transitions. The computational advances we demonstrate in this work are widely applicable to most elements in the periodic table and will allow us to solve numerous problems in atomic physics, astrophysics, and plasma physics.
- Received 17 December 2019
- Accepted 1 April 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.163001
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