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Improved Limit on a Temporal Variation of mp/me from Comparisons of Yb+ and Cs Atomic Clocks

N. Huntemann, B. Lipphardt, Chr. Tamm, V. Gerginov, S. Weyers, and E. Peik
Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 210802 – Published 17 November 2014
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Abstract

Accurate measurements of different transition frequencies between atomic levels of the electronic and hyperfine structure over time are used to investigate temporal variations of the fine structure constant α and the proton-to-electron mass ratio μ. We measure the frequency of the S1/22F7/22 electric octupole (E3) transition in Yb+171 against two caesium fountain clocks as f(E3)=642121496772645.36Hz with an improved fractional uncertainty of 3.9×1016. This transition frequency shows a strong sensitivity to changes of α. Together with a number of previous and recent measurements of the S1/22D3/22 electric quadrupole transition in Yb+171 and with data from other elements, a least-squares analysis yields (1/α)(dα/dt)=0.20(20)×1016/yr and (1/μ)(dμ/dt)=0.5(1.6)×1016/yr, confirming a previous limit on dα/dt and providing the most stringent limit on dμ/dt from laboratory experiments.

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  • Received 16 July 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.210802

© 2014 American Physical Society

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Time Trials for Fundamental Constants

Published 17 November 2014

Single-ion clocks yield new limits on how much the proton-to-electron mass ratio and the fine structure constant change over time.

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Authors & Affiliations

N. Huntemann, B. Lipphardt, Chr. Tamm, V. Gerginov, S. Weyers, and E. Peik*

  • Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Bundesallee 100, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany

  • *ekkehard.peik@ptb.de

See Also

Frequency Ratio of Two Optical Clock Transitions in Yb+171 and Constraints on the Time Variation of Fundamental Constants

R. M. Godun, P. B. R. Nisbet-Jones, J. M. Jones, S. A. King, L. A. M. Johnson, H. S. Margolis, K. Szymaniec, S. N. Lea, K. Bongs, and P. Gill
Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 210801 (2014)

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Vol. 113, Iss. 21 — 21 November 2014

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