A status report on experimental tests of QED in medium-Z systems

Abstract

The electron beam ion trap has opened the door for experimental physics to perform critical tests of bound state QED in the medium-Z regime. The relatively small uncertainties associated with the theoretical predictions necessitate highly accurate experimental measurements of atomic transition energies. This work presents an overview of the issues and key concepts involved in the field. It also demonstrates several major steps taken to suppress systematic uncertainties that have limited past work and presents an error budget for current and future work. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.