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Title: Parity nonconservation in zero-momentum transfer lepton-hadron interactions

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:5794746

An experiment is performed with a lepton-hadron bound state system which yields an upper limit on parity nonconservation in the electron-proton interaction. Electric dipole transition rates are measured between perturbed hyperfine states of metastable H(2S). The primary effect of a PNC electron-proton interaction is to mix S and P states. Since a transition electric dipole moment, E1/sub PNC/, induced by such an interaction is expected to be extremely small, an experiment has been designed to observe it in interference with a parity-conversing (PC) electric dipole amplitude, E1/sub PC/, induced by the Stark effect, in a transition region which breaks inversion symmetry. Microwave (f approx. 1600 MHz) electric dipole transitions are observed between the Zeeman hyperfine substrates /sup 1//sub 0/ and ..beta../sub 0/ of H(2S) in a dc electric field (E vector) and a dc magnetic field (B vector) set near the level crossings of the ..beta.. substates and the substates e of the strong damped 2P/sub 1/2/ state. The detected final state is ..beta../sub 0/ as it is the only state at this level crossing which is mixed with a nearby P state (epsilon/sub 0/) by the PNC interaction.

Research Organization:
Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor (USA)
OSTI ID:
5794746
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English