110 research outputs found
A Generalized Theory of Varying Alpha
In this paper, we formulate a generalization of the simple
Bekenstein-Sandvik-Barrow-Magueijo (BSBM) theory of varying alpha by allowing
the coupling constant, \omega, for the corresponding scalar field \psi\ to
depend on \psi. We focus on the situation where \omega\ is exponential in \psi\
and find the late-time behaviours that occur in matter-dominated and
dark-energy dominated cosmologies. We also consider the situation when the
background expansion scale factor of the universe evolves in proportion to an
arbitrary power of the cosmic time. We find the conditions under which the fine
structure `constant' increases with time, as in the BSBM theory, and establish
a cosmic no-hair behaviour for accelerating universes. We also find the
conditions under which the fine structure `constant' can decrease with time and
compare the whole family of models with astronomical data from quasar
absorption spectra.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures. Minor corrections and clarifications added.
Final section on spatial variations removed so that the paper focuses
exclusively on time-variatio
Electric Quadrupole Moments of Metastable States of Ca+, Sr+, and Ba+
Electric quadrupole moments of the metastable nd3/2 and nd5/2 states of Ca+,
Sr+, and Ba+ are calculated using the relativistic all-order method including
all single, double, and partial triple excitations of the Dirac-Hartree-Fock
wave function to provide recommended values for the cases where no experimental
data are available. The contributions of all non-linear single and double terms
are also calculated for the case of Ca+ for comparison of our approach with the
CCSD(T) results. The third-order many body perturbation theory is used to
evaluate contributions of high partial waves and the Breit interaction. The
remaining omitted correlation corrections are estimated as well. Extensive
study of the uncertainty of our calculations is carried out to establish
accuracy of our recommended values to be 0.5% - 1% depending on the particular
ion. Comprehensive comparison of our results with other theoretical values and
experiment is carried out. Our result for the quadrupole moment of the 3d5/2
state of Ca+ ion, 1.849(17)ea_0^2, is in agreement with the most precise recent
measurement 1.83(1)ea_0^2 by Roos et al. [Nature 443, 316 (2006)].Comment: 7 page
Laser frequency stabilization to a single ion
A fundamental limit to the stability of a single-ion optical frequency
standard is set by quantum noise in the measurement of the internal state of
the ion. We discuss how the interrogation sequence and the processing of the
atomic resonance signal can be optimized in order to obtain the highest
possible stability under realistic experimental conditions. A servo algorithm
is presented that stabilizes a laser frequency to the single-ion signal and
that eliminates errors due to laser frequency drift. Numerical simulations of
the servo characteristics are compared to experimental data from a frequency
comparison of two single-ion standards based on a transition at 688 THz in
171Yb+. Experimentally, an instability sigma_y(100 s)=9*10^{-16} is obtained in
the frequency difference between both standards.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, submitted to J. Phys.
Resonance ionization spectroscopy of thorium isotopes - towards a laser spectroscopic identification of the low-lying 7.6 eV isomer of Th-229
In-source resonance ionization spectroscopy was used to identify an efficient
and selective three step excitation/ionization scheme of thorium, suitable for
titanium:sapphire (Ti:sa) lasers. The measurements were carried out in
preparation of laser spectroscopic investigations for an identification of the
low-lying Th-229m isomer predicted at 7.6 +- 0.5 eV above the nuclear ground
state. Using a sample of Th-232, a multitude of optical transitions leading to
over 20 previously unknown intermediate states of even parity as well as
numerous high-lying odd parity auto-ionizing states were identified. Level
energies were determined with an accuracy of 0.06 cm-1 for intermediate and
0.15 cm-1 for auto-ionizing states. Using different excitation pathways an
assignment of total angular momenta for several energy levels was possible. One
particularly efficient ionization scheme of thorium, exhibiting saturation in
all three optical transitions, was studied in detail. For all three levels in
this scheme, the isotope shifts of the isotopes Th-228, Th-229, and Th-230
relative to Th-232 were measured. An overall efficiency including ionization,
transport and detection of 0.6 was determined, which was predominantly limited
by the transmission of the mass spectrometer ion optics
Absolute frequency measurement of the In clock transition with a mode-locked laser
The absolute frequency of the In -
clock transition at 237 nm was measured with an accuracy of 1.8 parts in
. Using a phase-coherent frequency chain, we compared the
- transition with a methane-stabilized He-Ne laser at 3.39 m
which was calibrated against an atomic cesium fountain clock. A frequency gap
of 37 THz at the fourth harmonic of the He-Ne standard was bridged by a
frequency comb generated by a mode-locked femtosecond laser. The frequency of
the In clock transition was found to be
kHz, the accuracy being limited by the uncertainty of the He-Ne laser
reference. This represents an improvement in accuracy of more than 2 orders of
magnitude on previous measurements of the line and now stands as the most
accurate measurement of an optical transition in a single ion.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures. accepted for publication in Opt. Let
CMB constraints on the fine structure constant
We study constraints on time variation of the fine structure constant alpha
from cosmic microwave background (CMB) taking into account simultaneous change
in alpha and the electron mass m_e which might be implied in unification
theories. We obtain the constraints -0.097 < Delta alpha/alpha < 0.034 at 95%
C.L. using WMAP data only, and -0.042 < Delta alpha/alpha < 0.026 combining
with the constraint on the Hubble parameter by the HST Hubble Key Project.
These are improved by 15% compared with constraints assuming only alpha varies.
We discuss other relations between variations in alpha and m_e but we do not
find evidence for varying alpha.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figure
Optical Clocks in Space
The performance of optical clocks has strongly progressed in recent years,
and accuracies and instabilities of 1 part in 10^18 are expected in the near
future. The operation of optical clocks in space provides new scientific and
technological opportunities. In particular, an earth-orbiting satellite
containing an ensemble of optical clocks would allow a precision measurement of
the gravitational redshift, navigation with improved precision, mapping of the
earth's gravitational potential by relativistic geodesy, and comparisons
between ground clocks.Comment: Proc. III International Conference on Particle and Fundamental
Physics in Space (SpacePart06), Beijing 19 - 21 April 2006, to appear in
Nucl. Phys.
Bloch-Like Quantum Multiple Reflections of Atoms
We show that under certain circumstances an atom can follow an oscillatory
motion in a periodic laser profile with a Gaussian envelope. These oscillations
can be well explained by using a model of energetically forbidden spatial
regions. The similarities and differences with Bloch oscillations are
discussed. We demonstrate that the effect exists not only for repulsive but
also for attractive potentials, i.e. quantum multiple reflections are also
possible.Comment: LaTeX, 7 pages, 7 figure
Laser ablation loading of a radiofrequency ion trap
The production of ions via laser ablation for the loading of radiofrequency
(RF) ion traps is investigated using a nitrogen laser with a maximum pulse
energy of 0.17 mJ and a peak intensity of about 250 MW/cm^2. A time-of-flight
mass spectrometer is used to measure the ion yield and the distribution of the
charge states. Singly charged ions of elements that are presently considered
for the use in optical clocks or quantum logic applications could be produced
from metallic samples at a rate of the order of magnitude 10^5 ions per pulse.
A linear Paul trap was loaded with Th+ ions produced by laser ablation. An
overall ion production and trapping efficiency of 10^-7 to 10^-6 was attained.
For ions injected individually, a dependence of the capture probability on the
phase of the RF field has been predicted. In the experiment this was not
observed, presumably because of collective effects within the ablation plume.Comment: submitted to Appl. Phys. B., special issue on ion trappin
Linear Paul trap design for an optical clock with Coulomb crystals
We report on the design of a segmented linear Paul trap for optical clock
applications using trapped ion Coulomb crystals. For an optical clock with an
improved short-term stability and a fractional frequency uncertainty of 10^-18,
we propose 115In+ ions sympathetically cooled by 172Yb+. We discuss the
systematic frequency shifts of such a frequency standard. In particular, we
elaborate on high precision calculations of the electric radiofrequency field
of the ion trap using the finite element method. These calculations are used to
find a scalable design with minimized excess micromotion of the ions at a level
at which the corresponding second- order Doppler shift contributes less than
10^-18 to the relative uncertainty of the frequency standard
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