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New Limits to the Drift of Fundamental Constants from Laboratory Measurements

Optics 2009-11-10 v2 Atomic Physics

Abstract

We have remeasured the absolute 1S1S-2S2S transition frequency νH\nu_{\rm {H}} in atomic hydrogen. A comparison with the result of the previous measurement performed in 1999 sets a limit of (29±57)(-29\pm 57) Hz for the drift of νH\nu_{\rm {H}} with respect to the ground state hyperfine splitting νCs\nu_{{\rm {Cs}}} in 133^{133}Cs. Combining this result with the recently published optical transition frequency in 199^{199}Hg+^+ against νCs\nu_{\rm {Cs}} and a microwave 87^{87}Rb and 133^{133}Cs clock comparison, we deduce separate limits on α˙/α=(0.9±2.9)×1015\dot{\alpha}/\alpha = (-0.9\pm 2.9)\times 10^{-15} yr1^{-1} and the fractional time variation of the ratio of Rb and Cs nuclear magnetic moments μRb/μCs\mu_{\rm {Rb}}/\mu_{\rm {Cs}} equal to (0.5±1.7)×1015(-0.5 \pm 1.7)\times 10^{-15} yr1^{-1}. The latter provides information on the temporal behavior of the constant of strong interaction.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.physics/0312086,
  title  = {New Limits to the Drift of Fundamental Constants from Laboratory Measurements},
  author = {M. Fischer and N. Kolachevsky and M. Zimmermann and R. Holzwarth and Th. Udem and T. W. Haensch and M. Abgrall and J. Gruenert and I. Maksimovic and S. Bize and H. Marion and F. Pereira Dos Santos and P. Lemonde and G. Santarelli and P. Laurent and A. Clairon and C. Salomon and M. Haas and U. D. Jentschura and C. H. Keitel},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:physics/0312086},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

4 pages, 3 figures, LaTeX