Related papers: Improved limits for violations of local position i…
We improve by a factor of 4-20 the energy accuracy of the strongest soft X-ray transitions of Fe XVII ions by resonantly exciting them in an electron beam ion trap with a monochromatic beam at the P04 beamline of the PETRA III synchrotron…
Many modern theories predict that the fundamental constants depend on time, position, or the local density of matter. We develop a spectroscopic method for pulsed beams of cold molecules, and use it to measure the frequencies of microwave…
A measurement of the magnitude of the electric dipole moment of the electron (eEDM) larger than that predicted by the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics is expected to have a huge impact on the search for physics beyond the SM. Polar…
Based on general relativity, clock comparisons enable the determination of the gravity potential relative to a stable reference. Lunar surface clocks, owing to the Moon's low-noise conditions, high orbital stability, and broad Earth…
High-precision spectroscopy of simple atomic systems can be used to advance the theory of atomic energy levels but can also serve as a sensitive probe of nuclear charge radii. For this last purpose, we report an improved measurement of the…
To operate an optical lattice clock at a fractional uncertainty below $10^{-17}$, one must typically consider not only electric-dipole (E1) interaction between an atom and the lattice light field when characterizing the resulting lattice…
Our improved calculation of the nuclear spin-independent parity violating electric dipole transition amplitude ($E1_{PV}$) for $6s ~ ^2S_{1/2} - 7s ~ ^2S_{1/2}$ in $^{133}$Cs in combination with the most accurate (0.3\%) measurement of this…
Experimental techniques to manipulate cold molecules have seen great development in recent years. The precision measurements of cold molecules are expected to give insights into fundamental physics. We use a rovibrationally pure sample of…
The electric dipole-forbidden, quadrupole 6S1/2 <-> 5D3/2 transition in Ba+ near 2051 nm, with a natural linewidth of 13 mHz, is attractive for potential observation of parity non-conservation, and also as a clock transition for a barium…
Improvements of the systematic uncertainty, frequency instability, and long-term reliability of the two caesium fountain primary frequency standards CSF1 and CSF2 at PTB (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt) are described. We have further…
We report on the first absolute transition frequency measurement at the 10^{-15} level with a single, laser-cooled 40Ca+ ion in a linear Paul trap. For this measurement, a frequency comb is referenced to the transportable Cs atomic fountain…
The current observational and experimental bounds on the time variation of the constants of nature (the fine structure constant $\alpha$, the gravitational constant $G$ and the proton-electron mass ratio $\mu=m_p/m_e$) are reviewed.
The search for variation of the fundamental constants such as the fine structure constant $\alpha$ ($\alpha=e^2/\hbar c$) and the ratios of fundamental masses (e.g., electron to proton mass ratio $\mu=m_e/m_p$) is reviewed. Strong emphasis…
A new experiment to test for the time independence of the fine structure constant, alpha, is proposed. The experiment utilizes orthogonally polarized Transverse Electric and Transverse Magnetic Whispering Gallery Modes in a single sapphire…
Motivated by recent astrophysical observations of quasar absorption systems, we formulate a simple theory where the electron to proton mass ratio $\mu =m_{e}/m_{p}$ is allowed to vary in space-time. In such a minimal theory only the…
We consider the electric dipole form factor, F_3(q^2), as well as the Dirac and Pauli form factors, F_1(q^2) and F_2(q^2), of the nucleon in the light-front formalism. We derive an exact formula for F_3(q^2) to complement those known for…
The interaction between light and an atom causes perturbations in the atom's energy levels, known as the light-shift. These light-shifts are a key source of inaccuracy in atomic clocks, and can also deteriorate their precision. We present a…
We study the prospects of using transitions from the ytterbium ground state to metastable states $^3{\rm P}^{\rm o}_2$ at $E=19\,710.388~$cm$^{-1}$ and $4f^{13}5d6s^2\,(J=2)$ at $E=23\,188.518~$cm$^{-1}$ as clock transitions in an optical…
We propose new experiments with high sensitivity to a possible spatial or temporal variation of the electron-to-proton mass ratio $\mu \equiv m_e/m_p$. We consider a nearly-degenerate pair of molecular vibrational levels, where each state…
Sensitivity of atomic transition frequencies to variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha=e^2/\hbar c$ increases proportional to $Z^2$ where $Z$ is the nuclear charge. Recently several lines of heavy ions Ge II, Sn II and Pb II have…