Reassessment of line profile asymmetry in measurements of the 1s-2s energy interval in hydrogen

Abstract

Experiments to determine transition frequencies in the hydrogen atom represent some of the most precise spectroscopic measurements and are at a higher level among simple atomic systems. The most persistent measured value in hydrogen is the energy interval corresponding to the $1s-2s$ two-photon transition. The achieved experimental precision is several parts of $10^{-15}$ and has not changed over the last two decades. Although repeated experiments in 2011 and 2013 have improved the accuracy by several times, the frequency value has not changed significantly. On this basis, the frequency of the $1s-2s$ transition holds pivotal for determining physical quantities such as the Rydberg constant and the proton charge radius. Theoretical efforts to study in detail the effects that might influence such precise measurements have not revealed significant contributions. The present work revises the theoretical analysis of the line contour asymmetry and its influence on the determination of the two-photon absorption transition frequency, taking into account the theoretical achievements of recent years in this direction. It is shown that the asymmetry of the observed profile can lead to a $1s-2s$ transition frequency shift at the level of modern experimental accuracy. The found frequency shift is consistent with the line shape model contribution that forms the error budget of the experimental measurements. Adjustment can be carried out on the basis of the asymmetric profile that has become standard in recent years.