Parity nonconservation in the hydrogen atom

Thesis/Dissertation · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:5093389

Chupp, T E

The development of experiments to detect parity nonconserving (PNC) mixing of the 2s/sub 1///sub 2/ and 2p/sub 1///sub 2/ levels of the hydrogen atom in a 570 Gauss magnetic field is described. The technique involves observation of an asymmetry in the rate of microwave induced transitions at 1608 MHz due to the interference of two amplitudes, one produced by applied microwave and static electric fields and the other produced by an applied microwave field and the 2s/sub 1///sub 2/ - 2p/sub 1///sub 2/ mixing induced by a PNC Hamiltonian. These investigations, underway since 1977, have led to an experiment in which the two amplitudes are produced in two independently phased microwave cavities. The apparatus has the great advantage that all applied fields are cylindrically symmetric, thus false PNC effects can be generated only by departures from cylindrical symmetry which enter as the product of two small misalignment angles. The apparatus also has great diagnostic power since the sectioned microwave cavities can be used to produce static electric fields over short, well localized regions of space. This permits alignment of the apparatus and provides a sensitive probe of cylindrical symmetry. A phase regulation loop greatly reduces phase noise due to instabilities of the magnetic field, microwave generators, and resonant cavities. A preliminary measurement following alignment of the apparatus sets an upper limit of 575 on the parameter C/sub 2/p, which gives the strength of the PNC-induced mixing of the ..beta../sub 0/ (2s/sub 1///sub 2/) and e/sub 0/ (2p/sub 1///sub 2/) states. The prediction of the standard model, including radiative corrections, is C/sub 2/p = 0.08 +/- 0.037.

• Research Organization: Washington Univ., Seattle (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5093389
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640302* -- Atomic
Molecular & Chemical Physics-- Atomic & Molecular Properties & Theory
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
AMPLITUDES
ASYMMETRY
ATOMS
CORRECTIONS
DATA
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EQUIPMENT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FREQUENCY RANGE
GHZ RANGE
GHZ RANGE 01-100
HYDROGEN
INFORMATION
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MICROWAVE EQUIPMENT
NONMETALS
NUMERICAL DATA
P INVARIANCE
P STATES
RADIATIVE CORRECTIONS
S STATES