22nd SPARC Topical Workshop

Atomic physics has long been at the forefront of precision measurement, providing both the tools to define fundamental standards and the sensitivity to probe physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM). Recent advances have allowed us to address open questions in neutrino physics, test the limits of bound-state quantum electrodynamics (QED), and provide benchmark data for astrophysics and plasma...

The advent of quantum sensing x-ray microcalorimeters such as Transition Edge Sensors (TESs) [1] has created exciting new opportunities to push the limits of precision physics in the hard x-ray domain. Thanks to the factor of 50 improvement in energy resolution offered by TESs over high-purity germanium [2, 3], and their high efficiency compared to crystal spectrometers [4], anti-protonic...

Synchotron radiation is widely used to generate intense beams of hard photons [1]. Of particular intrest is the case of electron propagation in a strong magnetic field comparable to the critical Schwinger field, $H_c \approx 4.41 \cdot 10^{13}$ G. In this regime, rapid radiative self-polarization, accompanied by intense emission, is expected to occur on a timescale of femtoseconds. Recently,...

The freezing of a liquid begins with the random formation of a tiny crystalline seed, often consisting of only a few atoms. For over a century, the theory describing this crystal nucleation process has been remarkably difficult to verify experimentally. In our earlier studies with krypton and argon, we observed striking discrepancies between theoretical predictions and measured nucleation...