Experimental Determination of the 24Mg I (3s3p)3P2 Lifetime
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We present the first experimental determination of the electric-dipole forbidden (3s3p)3P2¿(3s2)1S0 (M2) transition rate in 24Mg and compare to state-of-the-art theoretical predictions. Our measurement exploits a magnetic trap isolating the sample from perturbations and a magneto-optical trap as an amplifier converting each 3P2¿1S0 decay event into millions of photons readily detected. The transition rate is determined to be (4.87±0.3)×10-4¿¿s-1 corresponding to a 3P2 lifetime of 2050-110+140 sec. This value is in agreement with recent theoretical predictions, and to our knowledge the longest lifetime ever determined in a laboratory environment.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Physical Review Letters |
Volume | 107 |
Issue number | 11 |
Pages (from-to) | 113001 |
Number of pages | 5 |
ISSN | 0031-9007 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 7 Sep 2011 |
ID: 36096493