Eur. Phys. J. A 13, 239-242 (2002)
Atomic probes of electromagnetic and weak interactions with trapped radioactive atoms
G.D. Sprouse, S. Aubin, E. Gomez, J.S. Grossman, L.A. Orozco, M.R. Pearson and M. TrueDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3800, USA gene.sprouse@sunysb.edu
(Received: 1 May 2001)
Abstract
The alkali element francium has a simple electronic
structure, and copious amounts of a wide range of isotopes can be
produced in present and future rare isotope facilities. The
atomic parity violating weak interaction in Fr is 18 times larger
than in Cs, which makes it one of the best candidates to search
for the effects of the weak interaction and its isotopic
dependence. Atomic trapping methods now offer new ways to study
these atoms with precision, and we will discuss some of our recent
measurements with trapped Fr atoms. Future measurements of the
spin-independent weak interaction can be used to test the standard
model, but advances in atomic theory and improved understanding
of the neutron distribution in nuclei are needed to make
progress. We have made precise hyperfine-anomaly measurements in
Fr and have shown that they are sensitive to the radial
distribution of the neutron magnetization. Measurements of this
type can help to constrain the neutron distributions. Future
measurements of the spin-dependent weak interaction should allow
extraction of the nuclear anapole moments for a sequence of
isotopes, and allow separation of the neutron and proton weak
interactions between hadrons.
21.10.Ky - Electromagnetic moments.
32.80.Pj - Optical cooling of atoms; trapping.
© Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag 2002
