🔬 Category

physics.atom-ph

725 papers

The subatomic world is a realm where matter behaves in ways that defy our everyday intuition, and this category explores the fundamental building blocks of our universe. From the intricate dance of quarks inside a proton to the strange properties of electrons, these studies reveal the deep rules that govern everything from the smallest particles to the largest stars.

At Gist.Science, we track every new preprint in this field as it appears on arXiv, ensuring you stay ahead of the curve. For each discovery, we provide both a clear, plain-language explanation of the core ideas and a detailed technical summary for those who want to dive deeper into the mathematics and methodology.

Below are the latest papers in Atom-Ph, offering fresh insights into the structure and behavior of the atomic scale.

🔬 atomic physics

Diagonal Born--Oppenheimer correction in strong magnetic fields: finite-difference approach for light diatomic molecules

This study investigates the diagonal Born--Oppenheimer correction (DBOC) for light diatomic molecules in strong magnetic fields up to $0.2$ a.u., revealing that while electron correlation significantly impacts the correction, it acts as a nearly field-independent energy offset that induces vibrational frequency shifts exceeding current observational accuracy for magnetic white dwarfs.

J. J. Lopez-Rodriguez, T. Zalialiutdinov, D. Solovyev2026-09-15
🔬 atomic physics

Absolute frequency measurement of the 40^{40}Ca+^{+} clock transition using a GNSS link to the SI second

Using a GNSS link to compare a 40^{40}Ca+^{+} clock in Innsbruck with PTB's primary standards, researchers measured the absolute frequency of the clock transition with a fractional uncertainty of 1.5×10−151.5 \times 10^{-15} and simultaneously reevaluated the Landé g-factor for the 3d3d 2D5/2^{2}D_{5/2} level.

M. Guevara-Bertsch, M. K. Joshi, M. I Hussain, R. Blatt, C. F. Roos2026-09-15
🔬 atomic physics

Experimental Ni II Oscillator Strengths for Transitions from 3d84d3d^84d to 3d84p3d^84p Levels Measured Using High-resolution Fourier Transform Spectroscopy

This study presents the first experimentally measured oscillator strengths for 174 Ni II transitions between 3d84d3d^84d and 3d84p3d^84p levels, derived from high-resolution Fourier transform spectroscopy and branching fractions, to provide definitive atomic data that improves upon existing theoretical calculations.

Ruijie Chen, Christian P. Clear, Gillian Nave, Juliet C. Pickering2026-09-14
🔬 atomic physics

Accurate theoretical methods for photoionization of H2_2 molecules

This paper presents a comprehensive theoretical study of single-photon ionization cross sections for molecular hydrogen using three distinct numerical methods—time-dependent propagation, multi-channel configuration-interaction, and complex-scaling—which demonstrate excellent mutual agreement while highlighting the need for more precise experimental data at high photon energies.

Hakon Volkmann, Jannis Schürmann, Alejandro Saenz2026-09-11
🔬 atomic physics

Narrow-line magneto-optical trap of titanium atoms

This paper reports the realization of narrow-line magneto-optical traps for titanium isotopes (46^{46}Ti, 48^{48}Ti, and 50^{50}Ti) using a 1040 nm transition, achieving microkelvin temperatures and high spin polarization through a two-stage cooling process that also yields precise measurements of the transition linewidth and isotope shifts.

Rowan Duim, Scott Eustice, Jackson Schrott, Hiromitsu Sawaoka, Dan M. Stamper-Kurn2026-09-11
🔬 atomic physics

Delay-engineered dynamical phases in a programmable non-Markovian spin oscillator

This paper demonstrates the realization of a programmable non-Markovian spin oscillator in a hot vapor co-magnetometer, where tunable feedback delay and gain induce a hierarchy of dynamical phases—including time-crystalline responses and frequency combs—establishing time-delayed feedback as a versatile strategy for controlling non-equilibrium matter.

L. M. Ellis, L. M. Rushton, J. D. Zipfel, P. Bevington, M. Jayaseelan, W. Chalupczak, V. Guarrera2026-09-11
🔬 atomic physics

Non-stick vacuum wall collisions with a laser-coolable molecule

This study demonstrates that aluminum monofluoride (AlF) molecules survive collisions with ambient temperature vacuum walls with high probability, enabling their thermalization and accumulation in storage vessels to achieve densities near 108 cm−310^{8}~\text{cm}^{-3}, which paves the way for compact, portable traps for neutral molecules.

P. Kukreja, L. A. Rautenberg, J. C. Blumenstock, S. Kray, G. Meijer, S. C. Wright2026-09-11
🔬 mesoscale physics

Symmetry breaking and quantum correlations in finite systems: Studies of quantum dots and ultracold Bose gases and related nuclear and chemical methods

This review presents a unified two-step method of symmetry breaking and restoration to describe universal strongly correlated phenomena, such as electron crystallization and rotating molecules, across diverse finite systems including quantum dots, ultracold Bose gases, and traditional nuclear and chemical fields.

Constantine Yannouleas, Uzi Landman2026-09-10
🔬 atomic physics

Rotational excitation of molecules in the regime of strong ro-vibrational coupling: Comparison between an optical centrifuge and a transform-limited pulse

This theoretical study demonstrates that an optical centrifuge can effectively control molecular rotation in the strong ro-vibrational coupling regime by exciting high rotational states with minimal vibrational broadening, outperforming transform-limited Gaussian pulses which induce comparable rotation but cause substantial vibrational wavepacket spreading.

J. M. García-Garrido, V. Milner, C. P. Koch, R. González-Férez2026-09-10
🔬 atomic physics

A metastable state in Yb+\mathrm{Yb}^+ with lifetime greater than 10 minutes

This paper reports the direct measurement of a 17.8-minute collision-free lifetime for the metastable 3[11/2]9/2o{}^3[11/2]_{9/2}^o state in Yb+\mathrm{Yb}^+ ions, along with the identification of a 701 nm repump transition and the characterization of collisional quenching, establishing the state's viability for atomic clockwork and quantum information processing.

Hassan Farhat, William Liu, Wesley C. Campbell2026-09-10