RUI: Precise Atomic Structure Measurements and Tests of Fundamental Physics in Group IIIA atoms

RUI：IIIA 族原子的精确原子结构测量和基础物理测试

• 批准号: 0969781
• 负责人: Protik Majumder
• 金额: $ 28.5万
• 依托单位: Williams College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2014-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0969781&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Precise; Atomic; Structure; Measurements

In this project, carefully controlled lasers will be used to probe the detailed atomic structure of a class of heavy atoms including thallium and indium with unprecedented precision. Atoms, quintessential quantum mechanical objects, have long been used to confirm and test quantum theory. But in recent years, with advances in laser, optical, and signal processing technology, extremely precise experiments on certain heavy atoms have yielded insights into physics more commonly associated with elementary particles and large accelerators. Such tests of fundamental particle physics in these "table-top" experiments can only occur through both precise experiments and also sophisticated quantum mechanical calculations of these many-electron systems. Experiments in this laboratory using atoms in both heated vapor cells and atomic beam apparatus will be completed to test the accuracy of this cutting-edge atomic theory. Finally, an experiment will probe possible violations of "time-reversal" invariance in thallium atoms, which would be the signal for new physics beyond the current Standard Model of particle physics.At Williams College, these experiments serve as ideal research training for undergraduate physics students at every stage of their education. In the absence of graduate students, these students grow to become fully engaged junior colleagues. Since NSF support for this work began in 1998, a dozen students have become co-authors on journal publications, and twenty young scientists who received their first exposure to research in this laboratory have completed or are now enrolled in Ph.D. programs in physics and related fields. Students take active, central roles in completing laboratory projects through which they develop expertise with optics and lasers, electronics and control systems, as well as sophisticated data analysis procedures. Because of the relatively small physical scale of the research, they can appreciate the entirety of the experimental effort, gain valuable, specific experimental skills, and yet participate in an exciting cutting-edge research field which uses atoms to test physical theory at its most basic level. A continuing effort will be made to include students in this research at this crucial early point in their undergraduate years, as they begin to make longer-term career choices.

在该项目中，精心控制的激光器将用于探测一类重原子的详细原子结构，包括thallium和insifium，并具有前所未有的精度。 原子，典型的量子力学对象，长期以来一直用于确认和检验量子理论。 但是近年来，随着激光，光学和信号处理技术的进步，对某些重原子​​的极为精确的实验产生了对与基本颗粒和大加速器相关的物理学的见解。 这些“桌面”实验中基本粒子物理学的这种测试只能通过精确的实验和这些许多电子系统的复杂量子机械计算进行。 在该实验室中使用原子在加热蒸气细胞和原子束设备中的实验将完成，以测试该尖端原子理论的准确性。 最后，一个实验将探索可能违反thallium原子中“时间逆转”不变性的行为，这将是当前粒子物理学的当前标准模型以外的新物理学的信号。在威廉姆斯学院，这些实验是对教育每个阶段的本科生物理学生的理想研究培训。 在没有研究生的情况下，这些学生成长为完全参与的初级同事。自NSF对这项工作的支持始于1998年以来，十几名学生已成为期刊出版物的合着者，而二十名在该实验室中首次接受研究的年轻科学家已经完成或现在已入学博士学位。物理和相关领域的程序。 学生在完成实验室项目中扮演积极的核心角色，通过这些项目，他们通过光学和激光器，电子和控制系统以及复杂的数据分析程序开发专业知识。 由于研究的物理规模相对较小，他们可以欣赏全部实验努力，获得宝贵的，特定的实验技能，并参与一个令人兴奋的尖端研究领域，该领域使用原子在其最基本的水平上测试物理理论。在本科生的这一至关重要的早期时代，他们将继续努力将学生包括在这项研究中，因为他们开始做出长期的职业选择。