https://doi.org/10.1007/s100530070043
Metrology of the hydrogen and deuterium atoms: Determination of the Rydberg constant and Lamb shifts
1
Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, École Normale Supérieure et Université Pierre et Marie CurieLaboratoire associé au CNRS, UMR 8552.,
4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France
2
Laboratoire Primaire du Temps et des Fréquences, Bureau National de Métrologie-Observatoire de Paris, 61 avenue de l'Observatoire, 75014 Paris, France
Received:
9
March
2000
Published online: 15 October 2000
We present a detailed description of several experiments which have been
previously reported in several letters: the determination of the 1S Lamb
shift in hydrogen by a comparison of the frequencies of the 1S-3S and 2S-6S
or 2S-6D two-photon transitions, and the measurement of the 2S-8S/D and
2S-12D optical frequencies. Following a complete study of the lineshape of
the two-photon transitions, we provide the updated values of these
frequencies which have been used in the 1998 adjustment of the fundamental
constants. From an analysis taking into account these results and several
other precise measurements by other authors, we show that the optical
frequency measurements have superseded the microwave determination of the 2S
Lamb shift and we deduce optimized values for the Rydberg constant, 
= 109 737.315 685 50(84) cm-1 (relative uncertainty of 
) and for the 1S and 2S Lamb shifts L(1S) =
8 172.840(22) MHz and L(2S-2P) = 1 057.8450(29) MHz (respectively,
8 183.970(22) MHz and 1 059.2341(29) MHz for deuterium). These are now the
most accurate values available.
PACS: 06.20.Jr – Determination of fundamental constants / 21.10.Ft – Charge distribution / 31.30.Jv – Relativistic and quantum electrodynamic effects in atoms and molecules
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2000
