Search for variation of the fundamental constants in atomic, molecular and nuclear spectra

Abstract

The search for variation of the fundamental constants such as the fine structure constant $\alpha$ ($\alpha =e^2/\hslash c$) and the ratios of fundamental masses (e.g., electron to proton mass ratio $\mu =m_e/m_p$) is reviewed. Strong emphasis is given to establishing the relationships between the change in the measured frequencies of atomic, molecular or nuclear transitions and the corresponding change of the fundamental constants. Transitions in which the sensitivity of the frequency change to the variation of the fine structure constant is strongly enhanced are discussed and most recent experimental results are presented. Most attention is given to the use of atomic, molecular and nuclear transitions in the study of quasar absorption spectra and in atomic clock experiments.

9 pages. Based on the talk at the Symposium on Atomic Physics: A Tribute to Walter Johnson, Notre Dame, 4 April 2008. Cited numbers corrected

References in corpus (26)

• Further evidence for a variable fine-structure constant from Keck/HIRES QSO absorption spectra
• New Limits to the Drift of Fundamental Constants from Laboratory Measurements
• Limits on the time variation of the electromagnetic fine-structure constant in the low energy limit from absorption lines in the spectra of distant quasars
• New Limits on Coupling of Fundamental Constants to Gravity Using ${}^{87}$Sr Optical Lattice Clocks
• Enhanced effect of temporal variation of the fine structure constant in diatomic molecules
• Enhanced sensitivity to variation of the fine structure constant and m_p/m_e in diatomic molecules
• Dependence of nuclear magnetic moments on quark masses and limits on temporal variation of fundamental constants from atomic clock experiments
• Enhanced sensitivity to time-variation of m_p/m_e in the inversion spectrum of ammonia
• Limits on the temporal variation of the fine structure constant, quark masses and strong interaction from quasar absorption spectra and atomic clock experiments
• Relativistic effects in two valence electron atoms and ions and the search for variation of the fine structure constant
• Revision of VLT/UVES constraints on a varying fine-structure constant
• Comment on "Limits on the Time Variation of the Electromagnetic Fine-Structure Constant in the Low Energy Limit from Absorption Lines in the Spectra of Distant Quasars"
• Relativistic effects in Sr, Dy, YbII and YbIII and search for variation of the fine structure constant
• Limit on the Temporal Variation of the Fine-Structure Constant Using Atomic Dysprosium
• Relativistic corrections to transition frequencies of Ag I, Dy I, Ho I, Yb II, Yb III, Au I and Hg II and search for variation of the fine structure constant
• Most precise single redshift bound to Delta alpha/alpha
• VLT/UVES constraints on the cosmological variability of the fine-structure constant
• Enhancement of variation of fundamental constants in ultracold atom and molecule systems near Feshbach resonances
• Variation of fundamental constants: theory and observations
• The kinetic temperature of a molecular cloud at redshift 0.7: Ammonia in the gravitational lens B0218+357
• Does the fine structure constant vary? A detailed investigation into systematic effects
• Towards a sensitive search for variation of the fine structure constant using radio-frequency E1 transitions in atomic dysprosium
• Investigation of the Gravitational Potential Dependence of the Fine-Structure Constant Using Atomic Dysprosium
• A New Option for a Search for Alpha Variation: Narrow Transitions with Enhanced Sensitivity
• Atomic calculations and search for variation of the fine structure constant in quasar absorption spectra
• Fine Structure Anomalies and Search for Variation of the Fine Structure Constant in Laboratory Experiments

Cited by in corpus (63)

• Search for New Physics with Atoms and Molecules
• Varying constants, Gravitation and Cosmology
• Hunting for topological dark matter with atomic clocks
• Improved limit on a temporal variation of $m_p/m_e$ from comparisons of Yb${}^{+}$ and Cs atomic clocks
• Can dark matter induce cosmological evolution of the fundamental constants of Nature?
• Improved limits for violations of local position invariance from atomic clock comparisons
• Search for domain wall dark matter with atomic clocks on board global positioning system satellites
• Improved tests of Local Position Invariance using 87Rb and 133Cs fountains
• Improved limits on the coupling of ultralight bosonic dark matter to photons from optical atomic clock comparisons
• Dynamic polarizabilities and related properties of clock states of ytterbium atom
• Two clock transitions in neutral Yb for the highest sensitivity to variations of the fine-structure constant
• Improved limits on interactions of low-mass spin-0 dark matter from atomic clock spectroscopy
• Additional clock transitions in neutral ytterbium bring new possibilities for testing physics beyond the Standard Model
• Sensitivity of ${}^{229}$Th nuclear clock transition to variation of the fine-structure constant
• SpaceQ -- Direct Detection of Ultralight Dark Matter with Space Quantum Sensors
• Measuring the stability of fundamental constants with a network of clocks
• On a definition of the SI second with a set of optical clock transitions
• Detection of the $5p-4f$ orbital crossing and its optical clock transition in Pr${}^{9+}$
• Search for a Variation of the Fine Structure around the Supermassive Black Hole in Our Galactic Center
• Combination of the single-double coupled cluster and the configuration interaction methods; application to barium, lutetium and their ions
• Radium Ion Optical Clock
• Extracting dark matter signatures from atomic clock stability measurements
• Actinide ions for testing the spatial $\alpha -$variation hypothesis
• Probing Multiple Electric Dipole Forbidden Optical Transitions in Highly Charged Nickel Ions
• Astronomical and laboratory searches for space-time variation of fundamental constants
• Limits on gravitational Einstein Equivalence Principle violation from monitoring atomic clock frequencies during a year
• Material Size Dependence on Fundamental Constants
• Dual Hg-Rb magneto-optical trap
• Measuring the fine structure constant on a white dwarf surface; a detailed analysis of Fe V absorption in G191-B2B
• Searching for a Fifth Force with Atomic and Nuclear Clocks
• Search for variation of fundamental constants: Strong enhancements in $X^2\Pi$ cations of dihalogens and hydrogen halides
• Time keeping and searching for new physics using metastable states of Cu, Ag and Au
• Enhanced sensitivity to the fine-structure constant variation in Th IV atomic clock transition
• A New Clock Transition with the Highest Sensitivity to $\alpha$ Variation and Simultaneous Magic Trapping Conditions with Other Clock Transitions in Yb
• Atomic clocks and dark-matter signatures
• High-accuracy optical clocks based on group 16-like highly charged ions
• Atomic clocks highly sensitive to the variation of the fine structure constant based on Hf II, Hf IV, and W VI ions
• Clock-related properties of Lu+
• Transitions in Zr, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Hg, Ac and U ions with high sensitivity to variation of the fine-structure constant
• New generation low-energy probes for ultralight axion and scalar dark matter
• Searches for New Particles Including Dark Matter with Atomic, Molecular and Optical Systems
• Constraints on the Variation of Physical Constants, Equivalence Principle Violation, and a Fifth Force from Atomic Experiments
• Photoionization cross sections of the 5S${}_{1/2}$ and 5P${}_{3/2}$ states of Rb in simultaneous magneto-optical trapping of Rb and Hg
• Probing Supersymmetry Breaking Scale with Atomic Clocks
• Dynamic polarizabilities and triple magic trapping conditions for $5s^2{}^1{S}_0\to 5s5p{}^3{P}_{0,2}$ transitions of Cd atoms
• Manifestations of dark matter and variations of fundamental constants in atoms and astrophysical phenomena
• Investigation of ac-Stark shifts in excited states of dysprosium relevant to testing fundamental symmetries
• Variation of the quadrupole hyperfine structure and nuclear radius due to an interaction with scalar and axion dark matter
• Theoretical characterisation of the barium II and radium II ions
• Using optical clock transitions in Cu II and Yb III for time-keeping and search for new physics
• Search for transient variations of the fine structure constant and dark matter using fiber-linked optical atomic clocks
• Towards Adoption of an Optical Second: Verifying Optical Clocks at the SI Limit
• Sensitivity of the energy levels of singly ionized cobalt to the variation of the fine structure constant
• Quantum Sensing Using Atomic Clocks for Nuclear and Particle Physics
• Robust laboratory limits on a cosmological spatial gradient in the electromagnetic fine-structure constant from accelerometer experiments
• Improved bounds on ultralight scalar dark matter in the radio-frequency range
• Prospects for optical clocks combining high sensitivity to new physics with insensitivity to perturbations; the case of Sb${}^{+}$, Au${}^{+}$, and Hg${}^{2+}$
• Searching for stochastic background of ultra-light fields with atomic sensors
• Searching for Scalar Dark Matter in Atoms and Astrophysical Phenomena: Variation of Fundamental Constants
• The fine structure constant: a review of measurement results and possible space-time variations
• Constraints on the Variation of the QCD Interaction Scale ${\Lambda }_{\text{QCD}}$
• Precision spectroscopy in Yb+ ions
• Engineering the sensitivity of macroscopic physical systems to variations in the fine-structure constant