• Featured in Physics
  • Editors' Suggestion
  • Open Access

Searching for new interactions at submicron scale using the Mössbauer effect

Giorgio Gratta, David E. Kaplan, and Surjeet Rajendran
Phys. Rev. D 102, 115031 – Published 24 December 2020
Physics logo See synopsis: Finding New Forces with Old Techniques

Abstract

A new technique to search for new scalar and tensor interactions at the submicrometer scale is presented. The technique relies on small shifts of nuclear γ lines produced by the coupling between matter and the nuclei in the source or absorber of a Mössbauer spectrometer. Remarkably, such energy shifts are rather insensitive to electromagnetic interactions that represent the largest background in searches for new forces using atomic matter. This is because nuclei are intrinsically shielded by the electron clouds. Additionally, electromagnetic interactions cause energy shifts by coupling to nuclear moments that are suppressed by the size of the nuclei, while new scalar interactions can directly affect these shifts. Finally, averaging over unpolarized nuclei, further reduces electromagnetic interactions. We discuss several possible configurations, using the traditional Mössbauer effect as well as nuclear resonant absorption driven by synchrotron radiation. For this purpose, we examine the viability of well-known Mössbauer nuclides along with more exotic ones that result in substantially narrower resonances. We find that the technique introduced here could substantially improve the sensitivity to a variety of new interactions and could also be used, in conjunction with mechanical force measurements, to corroborate a discovery or explore the new physics that may be behind a discovery.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 18 October 2020
  • Accepted 17 November 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.102.115031

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Nuclear PhysicsParticles & Fields

synopsis

Key Image

Finding New Forces with Old Techniques

Published 24 December 2020

Interactions predicted by beyond-standard-model theories could be detected using a variation on Mössbauer spectroscopy, according to a new proposal.

See more in Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Giorgio Gratta1, David E. Kaplan2, and Surjeet Rajendran2

  • 1Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
  • 2Department of Physics & Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA

Article Text

Click to Expand

References

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 102, Iss. 11 — 1 December 2020

Reuse & Permissions
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review D

Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

×

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×