arXiv subjects

J. Zejma

Publications and source records attributed to J. Zejma.

51 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

A highly stable atomic vector magnetometer based on free spin precession

We present a magnetometer based on optically pumped Cs atoms that measures the magnitude and direction of a 1 $μ$T magnetic field. Multiple circularly polarized laser beams were used to probe the free spin precession of the Cs atoms. The design was optimized for long-time stability and achieves a scalar resolution better than 300 fT for integration times ranging from 80 ms to 1000 s. The best scalar resolution of less than 80 fT was reached with integration times of 1.6 to 6 s. We were able to measure the magnetic field direction with a resolution better than 10 $μ$rad for integration times from 10 s up to 2000 s.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2014

A measurement of the neutron to 199Hg magnetic moment ratio

The neutron gyromagnetic ratio has been measured relative to that of the 199Hg atom with an uncertainty of 0.8 ppm. We employed an apparatus where ultracold neutrons and mercury atoms are stored in the same volume and report the result $γ_{\rm n}/γ_{\rm Hg} = 3.8424574(30)$.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2014

Dynamic stabilization of the magnetic field surrounding the neutron electric dipole moment spectrometer at the Paul Scherrer Institute

The Surrounding Field Compensation (SFC) system described in this work is installed around the four-layer Mu-metal magnetic shield of the neutron electric dipole moment spectrometer located at the Paul Scherrer Institute. The SFC system reduces the DC component of the external magnetic field by a factor of about 20. Within a control volume of approximately 2.5m x 2.5m x 3m disturbances of the magnetic field are attenuated by factors of 5 to 50 at a bandwidth from $10^{-3}$ Hz up to 0.5 Hz, which corresponds to integration times longer than several hundreds of seconds and represent the important timescale for the nEDM measurement. These shielding factors apply to random environmental noise from arbitrary sources. This is achieved via a proportional-integral feedback stabilization system that includes a regularized pseudoinverse matrix of proportionality factors which correlates magnetic field changes at all sensor positions to current changes in the SFC coils.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2011

Measurement of Transverse Polarization of Electrons Emitted in Free Neutron Decay

The final analysis of the experiment determining both components of the transverse polarization of electrons ($σ_{T_{1}}$, $σ_{T_{2}}$) emitted in the $β$-decay of polarized, free neutrons is presented. The T-odd, P-odd correlation coefficient quantifying $σ_{T_{2}}$, perpendicular to the neutron polarization and electron momentum, was found to be $R=$ 0.004$\pm0.012\pm$0.005. This value is consistent with time reversal invariance, and significantly improves both earlier result and limits on the relative strength of imaginary scalar couplings in the weak interaction. The value obtained for the correlation coefficient associated with $σ_{T_{1}}$, $N=$ 0.067$\pm0.011\pm$0.004, agrees with the Standard Model expectation, providing an important sensitivity test of the experimental setup. The present result sets constraints on the imaginary part of scalar and tensor couplings in weak interaction. Implications for parameters of the leptoquark exchange model and minimal supersymmetric model (MSSM) with R-parity violation are discussed.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2011

An Improved Search for the Neutron Electric Dipole Moment

A permanent electric dipole moment of fundamental spin-1/2 particles violates both parity (P) and time re- versal (T) symmetry, and hence, also charge-parity (CP) symmetry since there is no sign of CPT-violation. The search for a neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) probes CP violation within and beyond the Stan- dard Model. The experiment, set up at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), an improved, upgraded version of the apparatus which provided the current best experimental limit, dn < 2.9E-26 ecm (90% C.L.), by the RAL/Sussex/ILL collaboration: Baker et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 131801 (2006). In the next two years we aim to improve the sensitivity of the apparatus to sigma(dn) = 2.6E-27 ecm corresponding to an upper limit of dn < 5E-27 ecm (95% C.L.), in case for a null result. In parallel the collaboration works on the design of a new apparatus to further increase the sensitivity to sigma(dn) = 2.6E-28 ecm.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2010

Testing isotropy of the universe using the Ramsey resonance technique on ultracold neutron spins

Physics at the Planck scale could be revealed by looking for tiny violations of fundamental symmetries in low energy experiments. In 2008, a sensitive test of the isotropy of the Universe using has been performed with stored ultracold neutrons (UCN), this is the first clock-comparison experiment performed with free neutrons. During several days we monitored the Larmor frequency of neutron spins in a weak magnetic field using the Ramsey resonance technique. An non-zero cosmic axial field, violating rotational symmetry, would induce a daily variation of the precession frequency. Our null result constitutes one of the most stringent tests of Lorentz invariance to date.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2010

New constraints on Lorentz invariance violation from the neutron electric dipole moment

We propose an original test of Lorentz invariance in the interaction between a particle spin and an electromagnetic field and report on a first measurement using ultracold neutrons. We used a high sensitivity neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) spectrometer and searched for a direction dependence of a nEDM signal leading to a modulation of its magnitude at periods of 12 and 24 hours. We constrain such a modulation to $d_{12} < 15 \times 10^{-25} \ e\,{\rm cm}$ and $d_{24} < 10 \times 10^{-25} \ e\,{\rm cm}$ at 95~\% C.L. The result translates into a limit on the energy scale for this type of Lorentz violation effect at the level of ${\cal E}_{LV} > 10^{10}$~GeV.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2009

Neutron to Mirror-Neutron Oscillations in the Presence of Mirror Magnetic Fields

We performed ultracold neutron (UCN) storage measurements to search for additional losses due to neutron (n) to mirror-neutron (n') oscillations as a function of an applied magnetic field B. In the presence of a mirror magnetic field B', UCN losses would be maximal for B = B'. We did not observe any indication for nn' oscillations and placed a lower limit on the oscillation time of tau_{nn'} > 12.0 s at 95% C.L. for any B' between 0 and 12.5 uT.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2009

Test of Lorentz invariance with spin precession of ultracold neutrons

A clock comparison experiment, analyzing the ratio of spin precession frequencies of stored ultracold neutrons and $^{199}$Hg atoms is reported. %57 No daily variation of this ratio could be found, from which is set an upper limit on the Lorentz invariance violating cosmic anisotropy field $b_{\bot} < 2 \times 10^{-20} {\rm eV}$ (95% C.L.). This is the first limit for the free neutron. This result is also interpreted as a direct limit on the gravitational dipole moment of the neutron $|g_n| < 0.3 $eV/$c^2$ m from a spin-dependent interaction with the Sun. Analyzing the gravitational interaction with the Earth, based on previous data, yields a more stringent limit $|g_n| < 3 \times 10^{-4} $eV/$c^2 $m.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2009

Measurement of the Transverse Polarization of Electrons Emitted in Free Neutron Decay

Both components of the transverse polarization of electrons emitted in the beta-decay of polarized, free neutrons have been measured. The T-odd, P-odd correlation coefficient quantifying the component perpendicular to the decay plane defined by neutron polarization and electron momentum, was found to be R=0.008 +/- 0.015 +/-0.005. This value is consistent with time reversal invariance, and significantly improves limits on the relative strength of imaginary scalar couplings in the weak interaction. The value obtained for the correlation coefficient associated with the electron polarization component contained within the decay plane N=0.056 +/- 0.011 +/- 0.005, agrees with the Standard Model expectation, providing an important sensitivity test of the experimental setup.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2008

An Improved Neutron Electric Dipole Moment Experiment

A new measurement of the neutron EDM, using Ramsey's method of separated oscillatory fields, is in preparation at the new high intensity source of ultra-cold neutrons (UCN) at the Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland (PSI). The existence of a non-zero nEDM would violate both parity and time reversal symmetry and, given the CPT theorem, might lead to a discovery of new CP violating mechanisms. Already the current upper limit for the nEDM (|d_n|<2.9E-26 e.cm) constrains some extensions of the Standard Model. The new experiment aims at a two orders of magnitude reduction of the experimental uncertainty, to be achieved mainly by (1) the higher UCN flux provided by the new PSI source, (2) better magnetic field control with improved magnetometry and (3) a double chamber configuration with opposite electric field directions. The first stage of the experiment will use an upgrade of the RAL/Sussex/ILL group's apparatus (which has produced the current best result) moved from Institut Laue-Langevin to PSI. The final accuracy will be achieved in a further step with a new spectrometer, presently in the design phase.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2007

A direct experimental limit on neutron -- mirror neutron oscillations

In case a mirror world with a copy of our ordinary particle spectrum would exist, the neutron n and its degenerate partner, the mirror neutron ${\rm n'}$, could potentially mix and undergo ${\rm nn'}$ oscillations. The interaction of an ordinary magnetic field with the ordinary neutron would lift the degeneracy between the mirror partners, diminish the ${\rm n'}$-amplitude in the n-wavefunction and, thus, suppress its observability. We report an experimental comparison of ultracold neutron storage in a trap with and without superimposed magnetic field. No influence of the magnetic field is found and, assuming negligible mirror magnetic fields, a limit on the oscillation time $τ_{\rm nn'} > 103$ s (95% C.L.) is derived.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2006

Evidence of the Coulomb force effects in the cross sections of the deuteron-proton breakup at 130 MeV

High precision cross-section data of the deuteron-proton breakup reaction at 130 MeV deuteron energy are compared with the theoretical predictions obtained with a coupled-channel extension of the CD Bonn potential with virtual Delta-isobar excitation, without and with inclusion of the long-range Coulomb force. The Coulomb effect is studied on the basis of the cross-section data set, extended in this work to about 1500 data points by including breakup geometries characterized by small polar angles of the two protons. The experimental data clearly prefer predictions obtained with the Coulomb interaction included. The strongest effects are observed in regions in which the relative energy of the two protons is the smallest.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2005

Systematic study of three-nucleon force effects in the cross section of the deuteron-proton breakup at 130 MeV

High precision cross-section data of the deuteron-proton breakup reaction at 130 MeV are presented for 72 kinematically complete configurations. The data cover a large region of the available phase space, divided into a systematic grid of kinematical variables. They are compared with theoretical predictions, in which the full dynamics of the three-nucleon (3N) system is obtained in three different ways: realistic nucleon-nucleon (NN) potentials are combined with model 3N forces (3NF's) or with an effective 3NF resulting from explicit treatment of the Delta-isobar excitation. Alternatively, the chiral perturbation theory approach is used at the next-to-next-to-leading order with all relevant NN and 3N contributions taken into account. The generated dynamics is then applied to calculate cross-section values by rigorous solution of the 3N Faddeev equations. The comparison of the calculated cross sections with the experimental data shows a clear prefernce for the predictions in which the 3NF's are included. The majority of the experimental data points is well reproduced by the theoretical predictions. The remaining discrepancies are investigated by inspecting cross sections integrated over certain kinematical variables. The procedure of global comparisons leads to establishing regularities in disagreements between the experimental data and the theoretically predicted values of the cross sections. They indicate deficiencies still present in the assumed models of the 3N system dynamics.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2003

Search for Time-Reversal Violation in the beta-Decay of Polarized 8Li Nuclei

The transverse polarization of electrons emitted in the beta-decay of polarized 8Li nuclei has been measured. For the time reversal violating triple correlation parameter we find R = (0.9 +- 2.2)x10^{-3}. This result is in agreement with the standard model and yields improved constraints on exotic tensor contributions to the weak interaction. It also provides a new limit on the mass of a possible scalar leptoquark, m_{LQ} > 560 GeV/c^2 (90% C.L.).

nucl-ex↗