Isotope shifts and hyperfine structure in polonium isotopes by atomic-beam laser spectroscopy

Laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy in a collimated atomic beam has been applied to determine isotope shifts and the hyperfine structure of an isotopic chain of the radioactive element polonium ${(}^{200}$Po, ${}_{}{}^{202}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Po}$, ${}_{}{}^{204–210}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Po}$). The relative isotope shifts show a striking similarity with results for other elements in the vicinity of Pb, even reproducing details of the odd-even staggering.