Laser Excitation of the Muonium <span class="aps-inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mn>1</mn><mi>S</mi><mo>−</mo><mn>2</mn><mi>S</mi></math></span> Transition

Steven Chu; A. P. Mills, Jr; A. G. Yodh; K. Nagamine; Y. Miyake; T. Kuga

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.60.101

Laser Excitation of the Muonium $1 S - 2 S$ Transition

Steven Chu, A. P. Mills, Jr., A. G. Yodh, K. Nagamine, Y. Miyake, and T. Kuga

Phys. Rev. Lett. 60, 101 – Published 11 January 1988

Abstract

We present evidence for the excitation of the two-photon Doppler-free $1 S - 2 S$ transition in muonium. Thermal muonium atoms were produced in vacuum by a 27.5-MeV/c pulsed positive-muon beam incident on a powdered Si $O_{2}$ target. Transitions were induced by the light from a frequency-doubled pulsed dye laser and were detected by photoionization of the $2 S$ state. The $1 S (F = 1) \to 2 S (F = 1)$ transition frequency is within 300 MHz of the QED prediction.

Received 4 September 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.60.101

Authors & Affiliations

Steven Chu^1,*, A. P. Mills, Jr.², A. G. Yodh¹, K. Nagamine³, Y. Miyake³, and T. Kuga^3,†

¹AT&T Bell Laboratories, Holmdel, New Jersey 07733
²AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey 07974
³Meson Science Laboratory, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan

^*Present address: Physics Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.
^†Present address: Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, Roppongi, Mirato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.