Papers › Measurement of a helium tune-out frequency: an independent test of quantum electrodynamics
Measurement of a helium tune-out frequency: an independent test of quantum electrodynamics
B. M. Henson, J. A. Ross, K. F. Thomas, C. N. Kuhn, D. K. Shin, S. S. Hodgman, Yong-Hui Zhang, Li-Yan Tang, G. W. F. Drake, A. T. Bondy, A. G. Truscott, K. G. H. Baldwin
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Despite quantum electrodynamics (QED) being one of the most stringently tested theories underpinning modern physics, recent precision atomic spectroscopy measurements have uncovered several small discrepancies between experiment and theory. One particularly powerful experimental observable that tests QED independently of traditional energy level measurements is the `tune-out' frequency, where the dynamic polarizability vanishes and the atom does not interact with applied laser light. In this work, we measure the `tune-out' frequency for the 2³S₁ state of helium between transitions to the 2³P and 3³P manifolds and compare it to new theoretical QED calculations. The experimentally determined value of $725\,736\,700\,$$(40_{\mathrm{stat}},260_{\mathrm{syst}})$ MHz is within ${\sim} 1.7\sigma$ of theory (725 736 252(9) MHz), and importantly resolves both the QED contributions (∼ 30 σ) and novel retardation (∼ 2 σ) corrections.
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