Title :
Enhanced laboratory searches for variation of fundamental constants
Author :
Berengut, Julian ; Flambaum, Victor
Author_Institution :
Sch. of Phys., Univ. of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
fDate :
Aug. 28 2011-Sept. 1 2011
Abstract :
We report on recent progress in finding new reference transitions for atomic clocks that exhibit enhanced sensitivity to a potential variation of fundamental constants. High sensitivity to variation of the fine structure constant can come from comparison of heavy near-neutral ions (such as mercury, ytterbium, thorium), or from comparing two near-degenerate levels in dysprosium. Exceptionally strong sensitivity could be provided by optical transitions in highly charged ions. Other constants such as electron-to-proton mass ratio can be probed using microwave clocks or molecular transitions. Nuclear clocks may provide unparalleled sensitivity to variation of constants that parameterize both the electromagnetic and strong nuclear forces. Measurement of variations in the constants of nature will provide insights into some of the deepest questions in physics and cosmology.
Keywords :
atomic clocks; constants; measurement standards; atomic clocks; electromagnetic force; enhanced laboratory search; fundamental constants; heavy near-neutral ions; optical transitions; reference transitions; strong nuclear force; variation measurement; Atomic clocks; Current measurement; Extraterrestrial measurements; Ions; Laboratories; Sensitivity;
Conference_Titel :
Quantum Electronics Conference & Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO/IQEC/PACIFIC RIM), 2011
Conference_Location :
Sydney, NSW
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4577-1939-4
DOI :
10.1109/IQEC-CLEO.2011.6193988