Towards a sensitive search for variation of the fine structure constant using radio-frequency E1 transitions in atomic dysprosium

Abstract

It has been proposed that the radio-frequency electric-dipole (E1) transition between two nearly degenerate opposite-parity states in atomic dysprosium should be highly sensitive to possible temporal variation of the fine structure constant ($\alpha$) [V. A. Dzuba, V. V. Flambaum, and J. K. Webb, Phys. Rev. A {\bf 59}, 230 (1999)]. We analyze here an experimental realization of the proposed search in progress in our laboratory, which involves monitoring the E1 transition frequency over a period of time using direct frequency counting techniques. We estimate that a statistical sensitivity of $|\adota| \sim 10^{-18}$/yr may be achieved and discuss possible systematic effects that may limit such a measurement.

arXiv comment8 pages, 7 figures

References in corpus (11)

• The String Dilaton and a Least Coupling Principle
• The fundamental constants and their variation: observational status and theoretical motivations
• Further Evidence for Cosmological Evolution of the Fine Structure Constant
• Runaway dilaton and equivalence principle violations
• The Oklo bound on the time variation of the fine-structure constant revisited
• Space-Time Variation of Physical Constants and Relativistic Corrections in Atoms
• A Search for Variations of Fundamental Constants using Atomic Fountain Clocks
• Calculations of the Relativistic Effects in Many-Electron Atoms and Space-Time Variation of Fundamental Constants
• Testing the stability of fundamental constants with the 199Hg+ single-ion optical clock
• The nuclear interaction at Oklo 2 billion years ago
• Relativistic effects in Sr, Dy, YbII and YbIII and search for variation of the fine structure constant

Cited by in corpus (32)

• Varying constants, Gravitation and Cosmology
• 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
• Search for variation of the fundamental constants in atomic, molecular and nuclear spectra
• New limits on variation of the fine-structure constant using atomic dysprosium
• Limits on Violations of Lorentz Symmetry and the Einstein Equivalence Principle using Radio-Frequency Spectroscopy of Atomic Dysprosium
• 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
• Optical transitions in highly-charged californium ions with high sensitivity to variation of the fine-structure constant
• On Th229 and time-dependent fundamental constants
• Variation of fundamental constants: theory and observations
• Investigation of the Gravitational Potential Dependence of the Fine-Structure Constant Using Atomic Dysprosium
• Dynamic polarizabilities and magic wavelengths for dysprosium
• Varying-Alpha Cosmologies with Potentials
• Gyromagnetic Factors and Atomic Clock Constraints on the Variation of Fundamental Constants
• Transverse laser cooling of a thermal atomic beam of dysprosium
• Varying Alpha: New Constraints from Seasonal Variations
• Variation of fundamental constants in space and time: theory and observations
• Varying Alpha
• Measurement of hyperfine structure and isotope shifts in the Dy 421-nm transition
• A New Option for a Search for Alpha Variation: Narrow Transitions with Enhanced Sensitivity
• Testing the time dependence of the fundamental constants in the spectra of multicharged ions
• Coulomb energy contribution to the excitation energy in ${}^{229}$Th and enhanced effect of $\alpha$ variation
• Searching for New Physics Through AMO Precision Measurements
• Fine Structure Anomalies and Search for Variation of the Fine Structure Constant in Laboratory Experiments
• Sensitivity coefficients to variation of fundamental constants
• Transitions in Zr, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Hg, Ac and U ions with high sensitivity to variation of the fine-structure constant
• Sensitivity to alpha-variation in ultracold atomic-scattering experiments
• Spin-exchange collisions of submerged shell atoms below 1 Kelvin
• Collisional perturbation of radio-frequency E1 transitions in an atomic beam of dysprosium
• Investigation of ac-Stark shifts in excited states of dysprosium relevant to testing fundamental symmetries
• Bloch-Siegert shift in application to the astrophysical determination of the fundamental constants variation