Si:P as a laboratory analogue for hydrogen on high magnetic field white dwarf stars

B N Murdin, Juerong Li, M L Y Pang, E T Bowyer, K L Litvinenko, S K Clowes, H Engelkamp, C R Pidgeon, I Galbraith, N V Abrosimov, H Riemann, S G Pavlov, H-W Hübers, P G Murdin

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53 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Laboratory spectroscopy of atomic hydrogen in a magnetic flux density of 10(5) T (1 gigagauss), the maximum observed on high-field magnetic white dwarfs, is impossible because practically available fields are about a thousand times less. In this regime, the cyclotron and binding energies become equal. Here we demonstrate Lyman series spectra for phosphorus impurities in silicon up to the equivalent field, which is scaled to 32.8 T by the effective mass and dielectric constant. The spectra reproduce the high-field theory for free hydrogen, with quadratic Zeeman splitting and strong mixing of spherical harmonics. They show the way for experiments on He and H-2 analogues, and for investigation of He-2, a bound molecule predicted under extreme field conditions.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1469
Number of pages8
JournalNature Communications
Volume4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 12 Feb 2013

Keywords

  • PARALLEL CONFIGURATION
  • RYDBERG STATES
  • HELIUM ATOM
  • SILICON
  • DONORS
  • MOLECULE
  • MANIFOLD
  • MASS

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