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Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 230802 (2004) [4 pages]

New Limits on the Drift of Fundamental Constants from Laboratory Measurements

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M. Fischer, N. Kolachevsky *, M. Zimmermann, R. Holzwarth, Th. Udem, and T. W. Hänsch †
Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik (MPQ), Hans-Kopfermann-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany

M. Abgrall1, J. Grünert1, I. Maksimovic1, S. Bize1, H. Marion1, F. Pereira Dos Santos1, P. Lemonde1, G. Santarelli1, P. Laurent1, A. Clairon1, and C. Salomon2
1BNM-SYRTE, Observatoire de Paris, 61 Avenue de l’Observatoire, 75014 Paris, France
2Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, ENS, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France

M. Haas, U. D. Jentschura, and C. H. Keitel
Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany

Received 3 December 2003; published 10 June 2004

We have remeasured the absolute 1S-2S transition frequency νH in atomic hydrogen. A comparison with the result of the previous measurement performed in 1999 sets a limit of (-29±57)   Hz for the drift of νH with respect to the ground state hyperfine splitting νCs in 133Cs. Combining this result with the recently published optical transition frequency in 199Hg+ against νCs and a microwave 87Rb and 133Cs clock comparison, we deduce separate limits on α˙/α=(-0.9±2.9)×10-15   yr-1 and the fractional time variation of the ratio of Rb and Cs nuclear magnetic moments μRb/μCs equal to (-0.5±1.7)×10-15   yr-1. The latter provides information on the temporal behavior of the constant of strong interaction.


©2004 The American Physical Society

URL: http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.230802
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.230802
PACS: 06.30.Ft, 06.20.Jr, 32.30.Jc

* Also at P. N. Lebedev Physics Institute, Moscow, Russia.
† Also at Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.

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