On the Interpretation of the Redshift in a Static Gravitational Field

The classical phenomenon of the redshift of light in a static gravitational potential, usually called the gravitational redshift, is described in the literature essentially in two ways: on the one hand the phenomenon is explained through the behaviour of clocks which run the faster the higher they are located in the potential, whereas the energy and frequency of the propagating photon do not change with height. The light thus appears to be redshifted relative to the frequency of the clock. On the other hand the phenomenon is alternatively discussed (even in some authoritative texts) in terms of an energy loss of a photon as it overcomes the gravitational attraction of the massive body. This second approach operates with notions such as the "gravitational mass" or the "potential energy" of a photon and we assert that it is misleading. We do not claim to present any original ideas or to give a comprehensive review of the subject, our goal being essentially a pedagogical one.Comment: latex, 16 pages, to be published in American Journal of Physic

Average polarization of 12B in 12C(μ, ν) 12B(g.s.) reaction: Helicity of the π-decay muon and nature of the weak coupling

The helicity, h -, of μ - in π-decay has been determined as positive (h -≥+0.90) from the average polarization, P av≡〈J B·s μ〉, of 12B produced in the μ -+ 12C→ν μ+ 12B reaction. We obtain also dynamical information on μ-capture: (i) the weak magnetism form factor, μ=4.5±1.1, and (ii) the sum of the induced pseudoscalar (g p) and the 2nd class induced tensor (g T) couplings versus g A, ( g P+g T) g A=7.1±2.7. The latter result, adopting the "canonical" value of g P g A, leads to g T g A=+1±2.7 which is compatible with zero and in strong contradiction with the value {reversed tilde equals}-6 recently advocated by Kubodera, Delorme and Rho. © 1977

Atomic parity nonconservation and neutron radii in cesium isotopes

The interpretation of future precise experiments on atomic parity violation in terms of parameters of the Standard Model could be hampered by uncertainties in the atomic and nuclear structure. While the former can be overcome by measurement in a series of isotopes, the nuclear structure requires knowledge of the neutron density. We use the nuclear Hartree-Fock method, which includes deformation effects, to calculate the proton and neutron densities in {125}Cs-{139}Cs. We argue that the good agreement with the experimental charge radii, binding energies, and ground state spins signifies that the phenomenological nuclear force and the method of calculation that we use is adequate. Based on this agreement, and on calculations involving different effective interactions, we estimate the uncertainties in the differences of the neutron radii delta_{N,N'} and conclude that they cause uncertainties in the ratio of weak charges, the quantities determined in the atomic parity nonconservation experiments, of less than 10^{-3}. Such an uncertainty is smaller than the anticipated experimental error.Comment: 24 pages (RevTeX) 4 figures (Postscript/uuencoded compressed) Caltech Preprint No. MAP-153 (March 1993

Induced pseudoscalar coupling of the proton weak interaction

The induced pseudoscalar coupling $g_p$ is the least well known of the weak coupling constants of the proton's charged--current interaction. Its size is dictated by chiral symmetry arguments, and its measurement represents an important test of quantum chromodynamics at low energies. During the past decade a large body of new data relevant to the coupling $g_p$ has been accumulated. This data includes measurements of radiative and non radiative muon capture on targets ranging from hydrogen and few--nucleon systems to complex nuclei. Herein the authors review the theoretical underpinnings of $g_p$, the experimental studies of $g_p$, and the procedures and uncertainties in extracting the coupling from data. Current puzzles are highlighted and future opportunities are discussed.Comment: 58 pages, Latex, Revtex4, prepared for Reviews of Modern Physic