Magic wavelengths for the $2 \ ^3S \to 2 \ ^1S$ transition in helium

Abstract

We have calculated ac polarizabilities of the $2 \ ^3S$ and $2 \ ^1S$ states of both $^4$He and $^3$He in the range 318 nm to 2.5 $\mu$m and determined the magic wavelengths at which these polarizabilities are equal for either isotope. The calculations, only based on available ab initio tables of level energies and Einstein A coefficients, do not require advanced theoretical techniques. The polarizability contribution of the continuum is calculated using a simple extrapolation beyond the ionization limit, yet the results agree to better than 1% with such advanced techniques. Several promising magic wavelengths are identified around 320 nm with sufficient accuracy to design an appropriate laser system. The extension of the calculations to $^3$He is complicated due to the additional hyperfine structure, but we show that the magic wavelength candidates around 320 nm are predominantly shifted by the isotope shift.