Nuclear Spin-Dependent Parity Nonconservation in Molecules

Yale University, New Haven CT

Investigators

Abstract

This project is a continuation of an ongoing experiment to measure the strength of certain types of electroweak interactions. The electroweak force (one of the four fundamental forces in nature) gives rise to an intrinsic energy difference between right- and left-handed configurations of particles and electromagnetic fields. Here, molecules are used in a novel scheme to amplify this (usually tiny) effect by many orders of magnitude. This should make it possible to measure as-yet unseen features of the electroweak force, in particular how it is modified by the presence of the strong force inside an atomic nucleus. Our table-top scale experiment is designed to provide data complementary to work ongoing at large accelerator laboratories. This project involves extensive student training. One current PhD student is completing his thesis on the experiment, and another will be sought, and undergraduates are frequently involved in the work. This project will also continue to include significant collaborative effort such as: participation of a faculty member from the US Coast Guard Academy; cross-disciplinary collaborations with chemists; and work with theorists in both Russia and the U.S. In addition, the wide range of technical challenges we face and solve naturally leads to spin-offs with possible broad applications, such as new sensitive methods for detecting trace amounts of certain molecules; new methods for precisely measuring magnetic fields; etc.