The relativistic feature of Hydrogen-like atoms in Heisenberg picture

The relativistic behavior of Hydrogen-like atoms (HLAs) is investigated in Heisenberg picture for the first time. The relativistic vibrational Hamiltonian (RVH) is first defined as a power series of harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian by using the relativistic energy eigenvalue . By applying the first-order RVH (proportional to ) to Heisenberg equation, a pair of coupled equations is turned out for the motion of electron position and its relativistic linear momentum. A simple comparison of the first-order relativistic and nonrelativistic equations reveals this reality that the natural (fundamental) frequency of electron oscillation (like entropy) is slowly raised by increasing the atomic number. The second-order RVH (proportional to ) have then been implemented to determine an exact expression for the electron relativistic frequency in the different atomic energy levels. In general, the physical role of RVH is fundamental because it not only specifies the temporal relativistic variations of position, velocity, and linear momentum of oscillating electron, but also identifies the corresponding relativistic potential, kinetic, and mechanical energies. The results will finally be testified by demonstrating the energy conservation.

Application of the Oscillation Symmetry to the Electromagnetic Interactions of Some Particles, Nuclei, and Atoms

The oscillation symmetry is first applied to electromagnetic interactions of particles and nuclei. It is shown that the differences between successive masses plotted versus their mean values and the electromagnetic decay widths Γee of 0^−(1^−−) b¯b and c¯c mesons, plotted versus their masses, agree with such symmetry. Then it is shown that the variation of the energy differences between different levels of several nuclei from 8Be to 20Ne, corresponding to given electric or magnetic transitions, display also oscillating behaviours. The electromagnetic widths of the electric and magnetic transitions between excited levels of these nuclei, plotted versus the corresponding differences between energies agree also with this property. The oscillating periods describe also an oscillation, the same for E1, M1, and E2 transitions. It is also the case for the multiplicative factor used β, and for ratios between these parameters. The oscillation symmetry is then applied to atomic energy levels of several neutral atoms from hydrogen to phosphorus. The data exhibit nice oscillations when plotted in the same way as before. The oscillations in various nuclear and atomic periods of different elements (A) exhibit the same shape and can be fitted by the same distribution.

Is the Quantum State Real in the Hilbert Space Formulation?

The persistent debate about the reality of a quantum state has recently come under limelight because of its importance to quantum information and the quantum computing community. Almost all of the deliberations are taking place using the elegant and powerful but abstract Hilbert space formalism of quantum mechanics developed with seminal contributions from John von Neumann. Since it is rather difficult to get a direct perception of the events in an abstract vector space, it is hard to trace the progress of a phenomenon. Among the multitude of recent attempts to show the reality of the quantum state in Hilbert space, the Pusey–Barrett–Rudolph theory gets most recognition for their proof. But some of its assumptions have been criticized, which are still not considered to be entirely loophole free. A straightforward proof of the reality of the wave packet function of a single particle has been presented earlier based on the currently recognized fundamental reality of the universal quantum fields. Quantum states like the atomic energy levels comprising the wave packets have been shown to be just as real. Here we show that an unambiguous proof of reality of the quantum states gleaned from the reality of quantum fields can also provide an explicit substantiation of the reality of quantum states in Hilbert space.Quanta 2020; 9: 37–46.

Thomas–Reiche–Kuhn (TRK) sum rule for interacting photons

The Thomas–Reiche–Kuhn (TRK) sum rule is a fundamental consequence of the position–momentum commutation relation for an atomic electron, and it provides an important constraint on the transition matrix elements for an atom. Here, we propose a TRK sum rule for electromagnetic fields which is valid even in the presence of very strong light–matter interactions and/or optical nonlinearities. While the standard TRK sum rule involves dipole matrix moments calculated between atomic energy levels (in the absence of interaction with the field), the sum rule here proposed involves expectation values of field operators calculated between general eigenstates of the interacting light–matter system. This sum rule provides constraints and guidance for the analysis of strongly interacting light–matter systems and can be used to test the validity of approximate effective Hamiltonians often used in quantum optics.

Frequency Response of Optically Pumped Magnetometer with Nonlinear Zeeman Effect

Optically pumped alkali atomic magnetometers based on measuring the Zeeman shifts of the atomic energy levels are widely used in many applications because of their low noise and cryogen-free operation. When alkali atomic magnetometers are operated in an unshielded geomagnetic environment, the nonlinear Zeeman effect may become non-negligible at high latitude and the Zeeman shifts are thus not linear to the strength of the magnetic field. The nonlinear Zeeman effect causes broadening and partial splitting of the magnetic resonant levels, and thus degrades the sensitivity of the alkali atomic magnetometers and causes heading error. In this work, we find that the nonlinear Zeeman effect also influences the frequency response of the alkali atomic magnetometer. We develop a model to quantitatively depict the frequency response of the alkali atomic magnetometer when the nonlinear Zeeman effect is non-negligible and verify the results experimentally in an amplitude-modulated Bell–Bloom cesium magnetometer. The proposed model provides general guidance on analyzing the frequency response of the alkali atomic magnetometer operating in the Earth’s magnetic field. Full and precise knowledge of the frequency response of the atomic magnetometer is important for the optimization of feedback control systems such as the closed-loop magnetometers and the active magnetic field stabilization with magnetometers. This work is thus important for the application of alkali atomic magnetometers in an unshielded geomagnetic environment.

Exact solution of the non-Hermitian eigenvalue problem for electron orbital excitations in a hydrogen atom

A new way of solving the spectral problem for description of electronic excitations is demonstrated for a hydrogen atom. The applied methodology is based on the idea of the electronic excitations description without introducing boundary conditions to the eigenvalue problem for the square of the angular momentum operator. The eigenvalues of such an operator are considered as complex in general. As a result, the spectral problem for the Schrödinger equation becomes non-Hermitian with complex energy values. The imaginary part of the total energy helps to estimate the excitation lifetime within a unified scheme. The existence of the Stark shift of atomic energy levels and the collapse of the atomic spectra are confirmed.