Strongly Coupled Chameleons and the Neutronic Quantum Bouncer
- Institut de Physique Theorique, CEA, IPhT, CNRS, URA 2306, F-91191Gif/Yvette Cedex (France)
We consider the potential detection of chameleons using bouncing ultracold neutrons. We show that the presence of a chameleon field over a planar plate would alter the energy levels of ultracold neutrons in the terrestrial gravitational field. When chameleons are strongly coupled to nuclear matter, {beta} > or approx. 10{sup 8}, we find that the shift in energy levels would be detectable with the forthcoming GRANIT experiment, where a sensitivity of the order of 1% of a peV is expected. We also find that an extremely large coupling {beta} > or approx. 10{sup 11} would lead to new bound states at a distance of order 2 {mu}m, which is already ruled out by previous Grenoble experiments. The resulting bound, {beta} < or approx. 10{sup 11}, is already 3 orders of magnitude better than the upper bound, {beta} < or approx. 10{sup 14}, from precision tests of atomic spectra.
- OSTI ID:
- 21611759
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review Letters, Vol. 107, Issue 11; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.111301; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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