Atomic precision tests and light scalar couplings

doi:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.83.035020

Title: Atomic precision tests and light scalar couplings

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Abstract

We calculate the shift in the atomic energy levels induced by the presence of a scalar field which couples to matter and photons. We find that a combination of atomic measurements can be used to probe both these couplings independently. A new and stringent bound on the matter coupling springs from the precise measurement of the 1s to 2s energy level difference in the hydrogen atom, while the coupling to photons is essentially constrained by the Lamb shift. For a range of masses these constraints are not as stringent as those from fifth force experiments or optical astrophysical and laboratory measurements. However, they have the advantage that they are universal, applying to all scalars, even those that hide their effects dynamically from fifth force searches, such as the chameleon and Galileon models. Combining these constraints with current particle physics bounds we find that the contribution of a scalar field to the recently claimed discrepancy in the proton radius measured using electronic and muonic atoms is negligible.

Authors:

Brax, Philippe; Burrage, Clare ^[1]

Institut de Physique Theorique, CEA, IPhT, CNRS, URA2306, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex (France)

Publication Date:: 2011-02-01

OSTI Identifier:: 21504922

Resource Type:: Journal Article

Journal Name:: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 83; Journal Issue: 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.83.035020; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Journal ID: ISSN 0556-2821

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS; 74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS; ACCURACY; ASTROPHYSICS; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; COUPLING; ENERGY LEVELS; LAMB SHIFT; MASS; MUONIC ATOMS; NUCLEAR ENERGY; PARTICLES; PHOTONS; PROTONS; SCALAR FIELDS; ATOMS; BARYONS; BOSONS; ELEMENTARY PARTICLES; ENERGY; FERMIONS; HADRONS; MASSLESS PARTICLES; NUCLEONS; PHYSICS; SIMULATION; SPECTRAL SHIFT

Citation Formats


                    Brax, Philippe, Burrage, Clare, Department de Physique Theorique, Universite de Geneve, 24 Quai E. Ansermet, CH-1211, Geneve, and Theory Group, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, D-22603, Hamburg. Atomic precision tests and light scalar couplings.  United States: N. p., 2011. 
        Web.  doi:10.1103/PHYSREVD.83.035020.

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                    Brax, Philippe, Burrage, Clare, Department de Physique Theorique, Universite de Geneve, 24 Quai E. Ansermet, CH-1211, Geneve, & Theory Group, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, D-22603, Hamburg. Atomic precision tests and light scalar couplings.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.83.035020

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                    Brax, Philippe, Burrage, Clare, Department de Physique Theorique, Universite de Geneve, 24 Quai E. Ansermet, CH-1211, Geneve, and Theory Group, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, D-22603, Hamburg. Tue .  
        "Atomic precision tests and light scalar couplings".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.83.035020.

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@article{osti_21504922,

  title        = {Atomic precision tests and light scalar couplings},

  author       = {Brax, Philippe and Burrage, Clare and Department de Physique Theorique, Universite de Geneve, 24 Quai E. Ansermet, CH-1211, Geneve and Theory Group, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, D-22603, Hamburg},

  abstractNote = {We calculate the shift in the atomic energy levels induced by the presence of a scalar field which couples to matter and photons. We find that a combination of atomic measurements can be used to probe both these couplings independently. A new and stringent bound on the matter coupling springs from the precise measurement of the 1s to 2s energy level difference in the hydrogen atom, while the coupling to photons is essentially constrained by the Lamb shift. For a range of masses these constraints are not as stringent as those from fifth force experiments or optical astrophysical and laboratory measurements. However, they have the advantage that they are universal, applying to all scalars, even those that hide their effects dynamically from fifth force searches, such as the chameleon and Galileon models. Combining these constraints with current particle physics bounds we find that the contribution of a scalar field to the recently claimed discrepancy in the proton radius measured using electronic and muonic atoms is negligible.},

  doi          = {10.1103/PHYSREVD.83.035020},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21504922},
  journal      = {Physical Review. D, Particles Fields},

  issn         = {0556-2821},

  number       = 3,

  volume       = 83,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2011},

  month        = {2}

}

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