Ground state hyperfine splitting in ⁶,7Li atoms and the nuclear structure

Relativistic and QED corrections were calculated for hyperfine splitting of the $2S_{1/2}$ ground state in $^{6,7}$Li atoms with an exact account for electronic correlations. The resulting theoretical predictions achieved such a precision level that, by comparison with experimental values, they enable determination of the nuclear properties. In particular, the obtained results show that the $^7$Li nucleus, having a charge radius smaller than $^6$Li, has about a 40% larger Zemach radius. Together with known differences in the electric quadrupole and magnetic dipole moments, this calls for a deeper understanding of the Li nuclear structure.