Limit on the Temporal Variation of the Fine-Structure Constant Using Atomic Dysprosium

A. Cingöz, A. Lapierre, A.-T. Nguyen, N. Leefer, D. Budker, S. K. Lamoreaux, and J. R. Torgerson
Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 040801 – Published 26 January 2007

Abstract

Over 8 months, we monitored transition frequencies between nearly degenerate, opposite-parity levels in two isotopes of atomic dysprosium (Dy). These frequencies are sensitive to variation of the fine-structure constant (α) due to relativistic corrections of opposite sign for the opposite-parity levels. In this unique system, in contrast to atomic-clock comparisons, the difference of the electronic energies of the opposite-parity levels can be monitored directly utilizing a rf electric-dipole transition between them. Our measurements show that the frequency variation of the 3.1-MHz transition in Dy163 and the 235-MHz transition in Dy162 are 9.0±6.7Hz/yr and 0.6±6.5Hz/yr, respectively. These results provide a rate of fractional variation of α of (2.7±2.6)×1015yr1 (1σ) without assumptions on constancy of other fundamental constants, indicating absence of significant variation at the present level of sensitivity.

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  • Received 1 September 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.040801

©2007 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

A. Cingöz1, A. Lapierre1, A.-T. Nguyen2, N. Leefer1, D. Budker1,3, S. K. Lamoreaux2,*, and J. R. Torgerson2

  • 1Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-7300, USA
  • 2Physics Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, P-23, MS-H803, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
  • 3Nuclear Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA

  • *Present address: Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8120, USA.

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Vol. 98, Iss. 4 — 26 January 2007

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