High-Precision Laser Spectroscopy

Dear Colleagues,

Precision measurements in atomic systems allow for the study of fundamental physics at a broad range of energy scales. These experiments are often small-scale (“tabletop”) and provide a complementary approach to new physics searches that occur at high-energy facilities. One area of precision measurement that has seen substantial advances in recent decades is that of high-precision laser spectroscopy. Work in this field has enabled the determination of the values of fundamental constants of nature (i.e., the Rydberg constant), stringent tests of quantum electrodynamics (QED), investigations of fundamental symmetries, and the development of devices such as optical atomic clocks. Specifically, the most accurate determinations of the Rydberg constant and the proton charge radius are set by high-precision laser spectroscopy measurements in atomic and muonic hydrogen. The best limits on the existence of the electron’s electric dipole moment (eEDM) are set by precision laser spectroscopy of cold molecules and molecular ions. More recently, the field has expanded to include so-called quantum-enabled spectroscopy techniques. Techniques such as quantum logic spectroscopy (QLS), which harness the resource of quantum entanglement, have opened the door to the study of exotic systems such as molecular ions and highly charged ions at a level of precision that would not otherwise be possible. In the case of optical atomic clocks, advances in high-precision laser spectroscopy techniques, including QLS, have enabled fractional systematic uncertainties of \({\Delta v / v \approx 10^{-18}}\) to be achieved in ensembles of atoms in optical lattices and individual trapped ions. In this Special Issue, we welcome original and review articles in the field of high-precision laser spectroscopy. Examples of topics include, but are not limited to, new experimental techniques, recent experimental results, theoretical proposals for new experiments and/or spectroscopy schemes, and overview articles on the state of a particular subset of work (i.e., eEDM searches).

Prof. Samuel M. Brewer
Prof. Dylan Yost
Guest Editors

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• precision measurements
• laser spectroscopy
• fundamental constants
• quantum information science