Sensitivity to alpha-variation in ultracold atomic-scattering experiments

Abstract

We present numerical calculations for cesium and mercury to estimate the sensitivity of the scattering length to the variation of the fine structure constant alpha. The method used follows ideas Chin and Flambaum [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 230801 (2006)], where the sensitivity to the variation of the electron to proton mass ratio, beta, was considered. We demonstrate that for heavy systems, the sensitivity to variation of alpha is of the same order of magnitude as to variation of beta. Near narrow Feshbach resonances the enhancement of the sensitivity may exceed nine orders of magnitude.

5 pages, 1 figure

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Cited by in corpus (10)

• Effect of alpha variation on a prospective experiment to detect variation of m_e/m_p in diatomic molecules
• Enhanced association and dissociation of heteronuclear Feshbach molecules in a microgravity environment
• Mott-Insulator-Aided Detection of Ultra-Narrow Feshbach Resonances
• Above threshold scattering about a Feshbach resonance for ultracold atoms in an optical collider
• Feshbach resonances in Cesium at Ultra-low Static Magnetic Fields
• Photoassociation of ultracold molecules near a Feshbach resonance as a probe of the electron-proton mass ratio variation
• Direct Observation of Resonant Scattering Phase Shifts and their Energy Dependence
• Atomic Clock Measurements of Quantum Scattering Phase Shifts Spanning Feshbach Resonances at Ultralow Fields
• Quenched Magneto-association of Ultracold Feshbach Molecules
• Delta-Kick Collimation of Heteronuclear Feshbach Molecules