Search for Variations of Fundamental Constants using Atomic Fountain Clocks

H. Marion, F. Pereira Dos Santos, M. Abgrall, S. Zhang, Y. Sortais, S. Bize, I. Maksimovic, D. Calonico, J. Grünert, C. Mandache, P. Lemonde, G. Santarelli, Ph. Laurent, A. Clairon, and C. Salomon
Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 150801 – Published 18 April 2003

Abstract

Over five years, we have compared the hyperfine frequencies of Cs133 and Rb87 atoms in their electronic ground state using several laser-cooled Cs133 and Rb87 atomic fountains with an accuracy of 1015. These measurements set a stringent upper bound to a possible fractional time variation of the ratio between the two frequencies: ddtln[(νRb)/(νCs)]=(0.2±7.0)×1016   yr1 (1σ uncertainty). The same limit applies to a possible variation of the quantity (μRb/μCs)α0.44, which involves the ratio of nuclear magnetic moments and the fine structure constant.

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  • Received 31 December 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.90.150801

©2003 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

H. Marion, F. Pereira Dos Santos, M. Abgrall, S. Zhang, Y. Sortais, S. Bize, I. Maksimovic, D. Calonico*, J. Grünert, C. Mandache, P. Lemonde, G. Santarelli, Ph. Laurent, and A. Clairon

  • BNM-SYRTE, Observatoire de Paris, 61 Avenue de l’Observatoire, 75014 Paris, France

C. Salomon

  • Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, ENS, 24 Rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France

  • *Present address: Istituto Elettrotecnico Nazionale G. Ferraris, Strada delle Cacce 41, 10135 Torino, Italy.
  • Present address: Institutul National de Fizica Laserilor, Plasmei si Radiatiei, P.O. Box MG36, Bucaresti, Magurele, Romania.

See Also

Testing the Stability of Fundamental Constants with the Hg+199 Single-Ion Optical Clock

S. Bize, S. A. Diddams, U. Tanaka, C. E. Tanner, W. H. Oskay, R. E. Drullinger, T. E. Parker, T. P. Heavner, S. R. Jefferts, L. Hollberg, W. M. Itano, and J. C. Bergquist
Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 150802 (2003)

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Vol. 90, Iss. 15 — 18 April 2003

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