Parity nonconservation in hydrogen

We discuss the prospects for parity violation experiments in atomic hydrogen and deuterium to contribute to testing the Standard Model (SM). We find that, if parity experiments in hydrogen can be done, they remain highly desirable because there is negligible atomic-physics uncertainty and low energy tests of weak neutral current interactions are needed to probe for new physics beyond the SM. Analysis of a generic APV experiment in deuterium indicates that a 0.3% measurement of C _1D requires development of a slow (77K) metastable beam of ???5×10¹⁴D(2S)s ^???1 per hyperfine component. The advent of UV radiation from free electron laser (FEL) technology could allow production of such a beam.     

Constraints on proton structure from precision atomic-physics measurements

Ground-state hyperfine splittings in hydrogen and muonium are very well measured. Their difference, after correcting for magnetic moment and reduced mass effects, is due solely to proton structure-the large QED contributions for a pointlike nucleus essentially cancel. The rescaled hyperfine difference depends on the Zemach radius, a fundamental measure of the proton, computed as an integral over a product of electric and magnetic proton form factors. The determination of the Zemach radius, (1.019+/-0.016) fm, from atomic physics tightly constrains fits to accelerator measurements of proton form factors. Conversely, we can use muonium data to extract an experimental value for QED corrections to hydrogenic hyperfine data. There is a significant discrepancy between measurement and theory, in the same direction as a corresponding discrepancy in positronium.     

Improved measurement of the hydrogen 1S-2S transition frequency

We have measured the 1S-2S transition frequency in atomic hydrogen via two-photon spectroscopy on a 5.8 K atomic beam. We obtain f(1S-2S) = 2,466,061,413,187,035 (10) Hz for the hyperfine centroid, in agreement with, but 3.3 times better than the previous result [M. Fischer et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 230802 (2004)]. The improvement to a fractional frequency uncertainty of 4.2 × 10(-15) arises mainly from an improved stability of the spectroscopy laser, and a better determination of the main systematic uncertainties, namely, the second order Doppler and ac and dc Stark shifts. The probe laser frequency was phase coherently linked to the mobile cesium fountain clock FOM via a frequency comb.     

利用铷原子双光子跃迁产生420nm蓝光的实验研究

本实验通过饱和吸收方法获得了铷原子5S_(1/2)→5 P_(3/2)单光子跃迁光谱,并进一步研究了铷原子5S_(1/2)→5 P_(3/2)→5 D_(5/2)的双光子跃迁光谱。使用780nm的控制光和776nm的信号光反向共线作用到铷泡中,通过探测6 P_(3/2)→5S_(1/2)自发辐射产生的420nm蓝光信号得到铷原子5S_(1/2)→5 P_(3/2)→5 D_(5/2)双光子跃迁光谱,利用法布里-珀罗干涉仪测量了~(87)Rb和~(85)Rb的5 D_(5/2)激发态超精细能级,详细研究了铷泡温度和776nm信号光功率对~(87)Rb 5S_(1/2)(F=2)→5 D_(5/2)双光子跃迁光谱的影响。该研究工作为基于原子分子精密光谱测量提供了实验基础。     

Precise frequency measurements of atomic transitions by use of a Rb-stabilized resonator

We demonstrate a technique for frequency measurements of atomic transitions with a precision of 30 kHz. The frequency is measured with a ring-cavity resonator whose length is calibrated against a reference laser locked to the D2 line of 87Rb, the frequency of which is known with 10-kHz accuracy. We have used this method to measure the hyperfine structure in the 5P(3/2) state of 85Rb. We obtain precise values for the hyperfine constants, A = 25.041(6) MHz and B = 26.013(25) MHz, and a value of 77.992(20) MHz for the isotope shift in the D2 line.     

铯原子7S1/2态磁偶极超精细常数的测量

在室温下的原子气室中, 基于铯原子6S_1/2-6P_3/2-7S_1/2(852.3 nm+1469.9 nm) 阶梯型能级系统, 利用电光调制器的主频和±1级边带分别产生的三套双共振吸收光谱, 当驱动电光调制器的信号源频率严格等于7S_1/2态超精细分裂的能级间隔时, 三套谱线中的一些超精细跃迁谱线重叠且线宽最窄, 利用这一现象很好地避免了激光器频率扫描时非线性效应的影响, 测量出了7S_1/2 态超精细分裂能级间隔: 2183.72 MHz±0.23 MHz, 并计算出该态的磁偶极超精细常数: A_hfs= 545.93 m MHz±0.06 MHz, 与文献中报道的测量结果一致.     

A new red shift mechanism with possible applications to astrophysical problems such as quasars

A new red shift mechanism is proposed based on a succession of hyperfine atomic Raman interactions of a photon with hydrogen atoms. The possibility that this atomic Raman effect may be the cause of any given astronomically observed red shift can be observationally tested as follows. The hydrogen 21 cm line from the same source willnot be shifted by this hyperfine interaction (since it is a resonance process), while visible and ultraviolet lines are shifted.     

Optical frequency measurement of the 1S–3S two-photon transition in hydrogen

This article reports the first optical frequency measurement of the 1S–3S transition in hydrogen. The excitation of this transition occurs at a wavelength of 205 nm which is obtained with two frequency doubling stages of a titanium sapphire laser at 820 nm. Its frequency is measured with an optical frequency comb. The second-order Doppler effect is evaluated from the observation of the motional Stark effect due to a transverse magnetic field perpendicular to the atomic beam. The measured value of the 1S_1/21\mathrm{S}_{1/2}(F = 1)-3S_1/2(F = 1) frequency splitting is 2 922 742 936.729(13) MHz with a relative uncertainty of 4.5 × 10^-12. After the measurement of the 1S–2S frequency, this result is the most precise of the optical frequencies in hydrogen.     

Fine-structure measurements of two-photon transitions in atomic cesium with a tunable dye laser

Two-photon transitions have been observed from the 6²S ground state of atomic cesium to selected higher lying n²D levels up to n = 19. The transitions were excited by a narrowband dye laser pumped by a nitrogen laser and detected by a space charge limited cesium vapor photodiode. The fine structure intervals of the n²D levels for n = 15, 17 and 19 were measured by direct comparison with the ground-state hyperfine interval, and the line strength ratios of the fine-structure components were measured and compared with the predictions of a simple theoretical model.     

2s Hyperfine splitting in light hydrogen-like atoms: Theory and experiment

Since the combination D ₂₁ = 8f _HFS(2s)-f _HFS(1s) of hyperfine intervals in hydrogen and light two-body hydrogen-like atomic systems weakly depends on the nuclear structure, comparison between theory and experiment can be sensitive to high order QED corrections. New theoretical and experimental results are presented. Calculations have been performed for the hydrogen and deuterium atoms and for the helium-3 ion. Experiments on the 2s hyperfine splitting (responsible for the dominant contribution to the error in D ₂₁) have been conducted for hydrogen and deuterium. The theory and experiment are in good agreement, and their accuracy is comparable to that attained in verifying the QED theory of the hyperfine splitting in leptonic atoms (muonium and positronium).     

A precision determination of the hyperfine splitting of muonium in quartz

We report a precise measurement of the hyperfine interval of muonium in single crystal quartz at room temperature, using the muon spin rotation technique. The measured value is about 1% larger than the vacuum value. Our results also confirm a small anisotropy previously reported.     

Precision measurement of the (3p–1s) X-ray transition in muonic hydrogen

The (3p — 1s) X-ray transition to the muonic hydrogen ground state was measured with a highresolution crystal spectrometer. The assumption of a statistical population of the hyperfine levels of the muonic hydrogen ground state was directly confirmed by the experiment and measured values for the hyperfine splitting can be reported. The measurement supplements studies on line broadening effects induced by Coulomb de-excitation hindering the direct extraction of the pion-nucleon scattering lengths from pionic hydrogen and deuterium X-ray lines.     

Adsorption and two-body recombination of atomic hydrogen on 3He-4He mixture films

We present the first systematic measurement of the binding energy E(a) of hydrogen atoms to the surface of saturated 3He- 4He mixture films at temperatures 70-400 mK. E(a) is found to decrease almost linearly from 1.14(1) K down to 0.39(1) K, when the population of the ground surface state of 3He grows from zero to 6x10(14) cm(-2), yielding the value 1.2(1)x10(-15) K cm(2) for the mean-field parameter of H- 3He interaction in 2D. Measuring by ESR the rate constants K(aa) and K(ab) for second-order recombination of hydrogen atoms in hyperfine states a and b, we find the ratio K(ab)/K(aa) to be independent of the 3He content and to grow with temperature.     

Ba原子6s5d~3 D与6p5d~3 F态的超精细结构及态间跃迁的同位素移动的直接确定

提出并演示了一种光泵预选态的原子光谱测量方法,并对Ba原子的6s5d3 D态与6p5d3 F态的超精细结构及该跃迁的同位素移动进行了直接测量。首先利用791nm的激光激发Ba原子特定同位素及特定超精细结构的6s6s 1 S0→6s6p3 P1跃迁,并利用6s6p3 P1→6s5d3 D2的自发辐射有选择地分别将这些同位素制备到6s5d3 D2态不同的超精细能级上,再用778nm的激光扫出对应的6s5d3 D2→6p5d3 F2跃迁的荧光光谱,通过这几组光谱之间的对比直接实现了对22条超精细谱线的认定和归属,从而得到了135 Ba和137 Ba的6s5d3 D2能级与6p5d3 F2能级的超精细结构常数及该跃迁的同位素移动。     

21-cm radiation: a new probe of variation in the fine-structure constant

We investigate the effect of variation in the value of the fine-structure constant (alpha) at high redshifts (recombination > z > 30) on the absorption of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at 21 cm hyperfine transition of the neutral atomic hydrogen. We find that the 21 cm signal is very sensitive to the variations in alpha and it is so far the only probe of the fine-structure constant in this redshift range. A change in the value of alpha by 1% changes the mean brightness temperature decrement of the CMB due to 21 cm absorption by >5% over the redshift range z < 50. There is an effect of similar magnitude on the amplitude of the fluctuations in the brightness temperature. The redshift of maximum absorption also changes by approximately 5%.     

铯原子气室中D2线泵浦探测光谱的实验观测

在铯原子气室中采用偏振方向相互垂直且同向传播的线偏泵浦光和探测光，研究了铯原子D2线的泵浦探测光谱。由于在6 S1/2 F=3 – 6 P3/2 F’=2 超精细跃迁中存在多个L型塞曼子能级结构，从而产生了电磁诱导透明导致的吸收减弱；而在6 S1/2 F=4 – 6 P3/2 F’=5 超精细跃迁中则观测到了电磁诱导吸收。通过改变泵浦光的失谐量，在电磁诱导透明形成的吸收减弱凹陷和电磁诱导吸收产生的吸收增强峰内部均观察到了反常的吸收信号反转。     

Gravitational Correction to Hyperfine Structure

The effective Hamiltonian of a fermion with spin-spin coupling to another fermion is derived from the non-relativistic approximation of the generally covariant Dirac equation in a weak gravitational field. This makes hyperfine structure of s-state of atomic hydrogen to be triplet other than the doublet in fiat spacetime. The difference is large enough to be measured for the atomic hydrogen on the earth and the sun.     

主动型氢原子钟原子弛豫时间的测量和分析

氢原子钟的原子弛豫时间是原子系统经过选态去除基态超精细能级（F = 0,m_F = 0）态和（F = 1,m_F = −1）态原子后,部分氢原子从（F = 1,m_F = 0）态跃迁至（F = 0,m_F = 0）态直至原子系统达到平衡状态所需的时间,该参数反映了原子的寿命,并直接影响氢原子钟的稳定度指标.为了测量主动型氢原子钟的弛豫时间,进而评估其性能,通过Raspberry Pi（RPI）产生时序信号,控制数字衰减器和电离源供电电路的继电器,从而控制微波探测信号的开启和原子束流的通断,并与数据采集等电路组成了氢原子自由感应衰减测试系统.通过对采集的自由感应衰减信号建模拟合,测算了氢原子钟的弛豫时间.该方法对于评估和优化原子线宽,改进主动型氢原子钟稳定度指标具有重要的参考意义.     

Decoherence of electromagnetically induced transparency in atomic vapor

We report characterization of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonances in the D1 line of (87)Rb under various experimental conditions. The dependence of the EIT linewidth on the power of the pump field was investigated at various temperatures for the ground states of the lambda system associated with different hyperfine levels of the atomic 5S(1/2) state as well as magnetic sublevels of the same hyperfine level. Strictly linear behavior was observed in all cases. A theoretical analysis of our results shows that dephasing in the ground state is the main source of decoherence, with population exchange playing a minor role.     

New limits on the drift of fundamental constants from laboratory measurements

We have remeasured the absolute 1S-2S transition frequency nu(H) in atomic hydrogen. A comparison with the result of the previous measurement performed in 1999 sets a limit of (-29+/-57) Hz for the drift of nu(H) with respect to the ground state hyperfine splitting nu(Cs) in 133Cs. Combining this result with the recently published optical transition frequency in 199Hg+ against nu(Cs) and a microwave 87Rb and 133Cs clock comparison, we deduce separate limits on alpha/alpha=(-0.9+/-2.9) x 10(-15) yr(-1) and the fractional time variation of the ratio of Rb and Cs nuclear magnetic moments mu(Rb)/mu(Cs) equal to (-0.5+/-1.7) x 10(-15) yr(-1). The latter provides information on the temporal behavior of the constant of strong interaction.