24 research outputs found
Test of Lorentz Symmetry by using a 3He/129Xe Co-Magnetometer
To test Lorentz symmetry we used a 3He/129Xe co-magnetometer. We will give a
short summary of our experimental setup and the results of our latest
measurements. We obtained preliminary results for the equatorial component of
the background field interacting with the spin of the bound neutron: b_n < 3.72
x 10^(-32) GeV (95 C.L.).Comment: Presented at the Fifth Meeting on CPT and Lorentz Symmetry,
Bloomington, Indiana, June 28 - July 2, 201
Precise Measurement of Magnetic Field Gradients from Free Spin Precession Signals of He and Xe Magnetometers
We report on precise measurements of magnetic field gradients extracted from
transverse relaxation rates of precessing spin samples. The experimental
approach is based on the free precession of gaseous, nuclear spin polarized
He and Xe atoms in a spherical cell inside a magnetic guiding field
of about 400 nT using LT SQUIDs as low-noise magnetic flux detectors. The
transverse relaxation rates of both spin species are simultaneously monitored
as magnetic field gradients are varied. For transverse relaxation times
reaching 100 h, the residual longitudinal field gradient across the spin sample
could be deduced to be pT/cm. The method takes
advantage of the high signal-to-noise ratio with which the decaying spin
precession signal can be monitored that finally leads to the exceptional
accuracy to determine magnetic field gradients at the sub pT/cm scale
Limit on Lorentz and CPT violation of the bound Neutron Using a Free Precession 3He/129Xe co-magnetometer
We report on the search for Lorentz violating sidereal variations of the
frequency difference of co-located spin-species while the Earth and hence the
laboratory reference frame rotates with respect to a relic background field.
The co-magnetometer used is based on the detection of freely precessing nuclear
spins from polarized 3He and 129Xe gas samples using SQUIDs as low-noise
magnetic flux detectors. As result we can determine the limit for the
equatorial component of the background field interacting with the spin of the
bound neutron to be bn < 3.7 x 10^{-32} GeV (95 C.L.).Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Ultra-sensitive magnetometry based on free precession of nuclear spins
We discuss the design and performance of a very sensitive low-field
magnetometer based on the detection of free spin precession of gaseous, nuclear
polarized 3He or 129Xe samples with a SQUID as magnetic flux detector. The
device will be employed to control fluctuating magnetic fields and gradients in
a new experiment searching for a permanent electric dipole moment of the
neutron as well as in a new type of 3He/129Xe clock comparison experiment which
should be sensitive to a sidereal variation of the relative spin precession
frequency. Characteristic spin precession times T_2 of up to 60h could be
measured. In combination with a signal-to-noise ratio of > 5000:1, this leads
to a sensitivity level of deltaB= 1fT after an integration time of 220s and to
deltaB= 10^(-4)fT after one day. Even in that sensitivity range, the
magnetometer performance is statistically limited, and noise sources inherent
to the magnetometer are not limiting. The reason is that free precessing 3He
(129Xe) nuclear spins are almost completely decoupled from the environment.
That makes this type of magnetometer in particular attractive for precision
field measurements where a long-term stability is required
Nuclear spin-dependent interactions: searches for WIMP, axion and topological defect dark matter, and tests of fundamental symmetries
External high-Quality-factor Resonator tunes up nuclear magnetic resonance
The development of powerful sensors for the detection of weak electromagnetic fields is crucial for many spectroscopic applications, in particular for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Here, we present a comprehensive theoretical model for boosting the NMR signal-to-noise ratio, validated by liquid-state 1H, 129Xe and 6Li NMR experiments at low frequencies, using an external resonator with a high quality-factor combined with a low-quality-factor input coil. In addition to an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio, this approach exhibits striking features such as a high degree of flexibility with respect to input coil parameters and a square-root dependence on the sample volume, and signifies an important step towards compact NMR spectroscopy at low frequencies with small and large coils