336 research outputs found
Cold Atom Clock Test of Lorentz Invariance in the Matter Sector
We report on a new experiment that tests for a violation of Lorentz
invariance (LI), by searching for a dependence of atomic transition frequencies
on the orientation of the spin of the involved states (Hughes-Drever type
experiment). The atomic frequencies are measured using a laser cooled
Cs atomic fountain clock, operating on a particular combination of
Zeeman substates. We analyze the results within the framework of the Lorentz
violating standard model extension (SME), where our experiment is sensitive to
a largely unexplored region of the SME parameter space, corresponding to first
measurements of four proton parameters and improvements by 11 and 13 orders of
magnitude on the determination of four others. In spite of the attained
uncertainties, and of having extended the search into a new region of the SME,
we still find no indication of LI violation.Comment: 4 pages, accepted for Physical Review Letter
Testing Local Lorentz and Position Invariance and Variation of Fundamental Constants by searching the Derivative of the Comparison Frequency Between a Cryogenic Sapphire Oscillator and Hydrogen Maser
The cryogenic sapphire oscillator (CSO) at the Paris Observatory has been
continuously compared to various Hydrogen Masers since 2001. The early data
sets were used to test Local Lorentz Invariance in the Robertson-Mansouri-Sexl
(RMS) framework by searching for sidereal modulations with respect to the
Cosmic Microwave Background, and represent the best Kennedy-Thorndike
experiment to date. In this work we present continuous operation over a period
of greater than six years from September 2002 to December 2008 and present a
more precise way to analyze the data by searching the time derivative of the
comparison frequency. Due to the long-term operation we are able to search both
sidereal and annual modulations. The results gives P_{KT} =
\beta_{RMS}-\alpha_{RMS}-1 = -1.7(4.0) \times 10^{-8} for the sidereal and
-23(10) \times 10^{-8} for the annual term, with a weighted mean of -4.8(3.7)
\times 10^{-8}, a factor of 8 better than previous. Also, we analyze the data
with respect to a change in gravitational potential for both diurnal and annual
variations. The result gives \beta_{H-Maser} - \beta_{CSO} = -2.7(1.4) \times
10^{-4} for the annual and -6.9(4.0) \times 10^{-4} for the diurnal terms, with
a weighted mean of -3.2(1.3) \times 10^{-4}. This result is two orders of
magnitude better than other tests that use electromagnetic resonators. With
respect to fundamental constants a limit can be provided on the variation with
ambient gravitational potential and boost of a combination of the fine
structure constant (\alpha), the normalized quark mass (m_q), and the electron
to proton mass ratio (m_e/m_p), setting the first limit on boost dependence of
order 10^{-10}.Comment: Fixed typo
Tests of relativity using a microwave resonator
The frequencies of a cryogenic sapphire oscillator and a hydrogen maser are
compared to set new constraints on a possible violation of Lorentz invariance.
We determine the variation of the oscillator frequency as a function of its
orientation (Michelson-Morley test) and of its velocity (Kennedy-Thorndike
test) with respect to a preferred frame candidate. We constrain the
corresponding parameters of the Mansouri and Sexl test theory to and which is equivalent to the best previous result for the
former and represents a 30 fold improvement for the latter.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letters (October 3,
2002
Palliative Portal Vein Stent Placement in Malignant and Symptomatic Extrinsic Portal Vein Stenosis or Occlusion
This article evaluates the results of portal vein (PV) stent placement in patients with malignant extrinsic lesions stenosing or obstructing the PV and causing symptomatic PV hypertension (PVHT). Fourteen patients with bile duct cancer (n=7), pancreatic adenocarcinoma (n=4), or another cancer (n=3) underwent percutaneous transhepatic portal venous stent placement because of gastroesophageal or jejunal varices (n=9), ascites (n=7), and/or thrombocytopenia (n=2). Concurrent tumoral obstruction of the main bile duct was treated via the transhepatic route in the same session in four patients. Changes in portal venous pressure, complications, stent patency, and survival were evaluated. Mean±standard deviation (SD) gradient of portal venous pressure decreased significantly immediately after stent placement from 11.2mmHg±4.6 to 1.1mmHg±1.0 (P<0.00001). Three patients had minor complications, and one developed a liver abscess. During a mean±SD follow-up of 134.4±123.3days, portal stents remained patent in 11 patients (78.6%); stent occlusion occurred in 3 patients, 2 of whom had undergone previous major hepatectomy. After stent placement, PVHT symptoms were relieved in four (57.1%) of seven patients who died (mean survival, 97±71.2days), and relieved in six (85.7%) of seven patients still alive at the end of follow-up (mean follow-up, 171.7±153.5days). Stent placement in the PV is feasible and relatively safe. It helped to relieve PVHT symptoms in a single sessio
Evaluation of Doppler Shifts to Improve the Accuracy of Primary Atomic Fountain Clocks
We demonstrate agreement between measurements and ab initio calculations of
the frequency shifts caused by distributed cavity phase variations in the
microwave cavity of a primary atomic fountain clock. Experimental verification
of the finite element models of the cavities gives the first quantitative
evaluation of this leading uncertainty and allows it to be reduced to delta nu
/ nu = 8.4\times10^-17. Applying these experimental techniques to clocks with
improved microwave cavities will yield negligible distributed cavity phase
uncertainties, less than \pm1\times10^-17.Comment: To appear in PR
Ultra-stable clock laser system development towards space applications
International audienceThe increasing performance of optical lattice clocks has made them attractive for scientific applications in space and thus has pushed the development of their components including the interrogation lasers of the clock transitions towards being suitable for space, which amongst others requires making them more power efficient, radiation hardened, smaller, lighter as well as more mechanically stable. Here we present the development towards a space-compatible interrogation laser system for a strontium lattice clock constructed within the Space Optical Clock (SOC2) project where we have concentrated on mechanical rigidity and size. The laser reaches a fractional frequency instability of 7.9 × 10−16 at 300 ms averaging time. The laser system uses a single extended cavity diode laser that gives enough power for interrogating the atoms, frequency comparison by a frequency comb and diagnostics. It includes fibre link stabilisation to the atomic package and to the comb. The optics module containing the laser has dimensions 60 × 45 × 8 cm3; and the ultra-stable reference cavity used for frequency stabilisation with its vacuum system takes 30 × 30 × 30 cm3. The acceleration sensitivities in three orthogonal directions of the cavity are 3.6 × 10−10/g, 5.8 × 10−10/g and 3.1 × 10−10/g, where g ≈ 9.8 m/s2 is the standard gravitational acceleration
Long-distance frequency dissemination with a resolution of 10-17
We use a new technique to disseminate microwave reference signals along
ordinary optical fiber. The fractional frequency resolution of a link of 86 km
in length is 10-17 for a one day integration time, a resolution higher than the
stability of the best microwave or optical clocks. We use the link to compare
the microwave reference and a CO2/OsO4 frequency standard that stabilizes a
femtosecond laser frequency comb. This demonstrates a resolution of 3.10-14 at
1 s. An upper value of the instability introduced by the femtosecond
laser-based synthesizer is estimated as 1.10-14 at 1 s
Cold atoms in space: community workshop summary and proposed road-map
We summarise the discussions at a virtual Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space concerning the status of cold atom technologies, the prospective scientific and societal opportunities offered by their deployment in space, and the developments needed before cold atoms could be operated in space. The cold atom technologies discussed include atomic clocks, quantum gravimeters and accelerometers, and atom interferometers. Prospective applications include metrology, geodesy and measurement of terrestrial mass change due to, e.g., climate change, and fundamental science experiments such as tests of the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, measurements of gravitational waves and tests of quantum mechanics. We review the current status of cold atom technologies and outline the requirements for their space qualification, including the development paths and the corresponding technical milestones, and identifying possible pathfinder missions to pave the way for missions to exploit the full potential of cold atoms in space. Finally, we present a first draft of a possible road-map for achieving these goals, that we propose for discussion by the interested cold atom, Earth Observation, fundamental physics and other prospective scientific user communities, together with the European Space Agency (ESA) and national space and research funding agencies
Cold atoms in space: community workshop summary and proposed road-map
We summarise the discussions at a virtual Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space concerning the status of cold atom technologies, the prospective scientific and societal opportunities offered by their deployment in space, and the developments needed before cold atoms could be operated in space. The cold atom technologies discussed include atomic clocks, quantum gravimeters and accelerometers, and atom interferometers. Prospective applications include metrology, geodesy and measurement of terrestrial mass change due to, e.g., climate change, and fundamental science experiments such as tests of the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, measurements of gravitational waves and tests of quantum mechanics. We review the current status of cold atom technologies and outline the requirements for their space qualification, including the development paths and the corresponding technical milestones, and identifying possible pathfinder missions to pave the way for missions to exploit the full potential of cold atoms in space. Finally, we present a first draft of a possible road-map for achieving these goals, that we propose for discussion by the interested cold atom, Earth Observation, fundamental physics and other prospective scientific user communities, together with the European Space Agency (ESA) and national space and research funding agencies.publishedVersio
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