EGAS41 - Swansea University

41 st EGAS PL 11 Gdańsk 2009
Precision parity and time reversal experiments with trapped
radioactive isotopes
Klaus Jungmann
Kernfysisch Versneller Instituut, University of Groningen, Zernikelaan 25
NL 9747 AA Groningen, The Netherlands
E-mail: jungmann@kvi.nl
At the Kernfysisch Versneller Instituut in Groningen precision experiments are carried
out to search for New Physics beyond the Standard Model. Such experiments exploit
most modern techniques in atomic, nuclear and particle physics. The research projects at
KVI include such which involve optically trapped radioactive atoms, where time reversal
symmetry is studied. This scientific question relates to the matter-antimatter asymmetry
in the universe. For these measurements new atomic trapping techniques and radioactive
beams of highest purity were developed.
The particular focus at KVI is on precision tests of discrete symmetries such as parity
and time reversal. To this extent an experiment to measure the weak mixing angle in a
single Ra + ion stored in a Paul-trap. Parallel to the experimental program our group has
performed also calculations of atomic parity violation which show that the Ra + experiment
has an about 50 times higher sensitivity to atomic parity violation compared to the best
experiment so far in atmic Cs.
Further we aim to search for atomic, nuclear and electrom permanent electric dipole
moments in optically trapped Ra atoms. As a precursor to this experiment the hurdle of
optically trapping heavy alkaline earth atoms was mastered by demonstrating BA atom
trapping by using 7 narrowband lasers at the same time.
These experiments at low energies are complementary in their physics potential to
accelerator experiments at the highest today possible energies.
48