Accurate prediction of clock transitions in a highly charged ion with complex electronic structure

Understand

We have developed a broadly-applicable approach that drastically increases the ability to accurately predict properties of complex atoms.

• We applied it to the case of Ir$^{17+}$, which is of particular interest for the development of novel atomic clocks with high sensitivity to the variation of the fine-structure constant and dark matter searches.
• The clock transitions are weak and very difficult to identity without accurate theoretical predictions.
• In the case of Ir$^{17+}$, even stronger electric-dipole (E1) transitions eluded observation despite years of effort raising the possibility that theory predictions are grossly wrong.