title: Precision Measurement for Metastable Helium Atoms of the 413 nm Tune-Out Wavelength at Which the Atomic Polarizability Vanishes.
abstract: We present the first measurement for helium atoms of the tune-out wavelength at which the atomic polarizability vanishes. We utilize a novel, highly sensitive technique for precisely measuring the effect of variations in the trapping potential of confined metastable (2^{3}S_{1}) helium atoms illuminated by a perturbing laser light field. The measured tune-out wavelength of 413.0938(9_{stat})(20_{syst}) nm compares well with the value predicted by a theoretical calculation [413.02(9) nm] which is sensitive to finite nuclear mass, relativistic, and quantum electrodynamic effects. This provides motivation for more detailed theoretical investigations to test quantum electrodynamics.
authors.affiliation: Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Henson
authors.affiliation: Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
authors.forename: R I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Khakimov
authors.affiliation: Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Dall
authors.affiliation: Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
authors.forename: K G H
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Baldwin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Li-Yan
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Truscott