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Register a new userProspects for Polar Molecular Ion Optical Probe of Varying Proton-Electron Mass Ratio
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Molecules with deep vibrational potential wells provide optical intervals sensitive to variation in the proton-electron mass ratio ($mu$). On one hand, polar molecules are of interest since optical state preparation techniques have been demonstrated for such species. On the other hand, it might be assumed that polar species are unfavorable candidates, because typical molecule-frame dipole moments reduce vibrational state lifetimes and cause large polarizabilities and associated Stark shifts. Here, we consider single-photon spectroscopy on a vibrational overtone transition of the polar species TeH$^+$, which is of practical interest because its diagonal Franck-Condon factors should allow rapid state preparation by optical pumping. We point out that all but the ground rotational state obtains a vanishing low-frequency scalar polarizability from coupling with adjacent rotational states, because of a fortuitous relationship between rigid rotor spacings and dipole matrix elements. We project that for good choices of spectroscopy states, demonstrated levels of field control should make possible uncertainties of order $1 times 10^{-18}$, similar to those of leading atomic ion clocks. The moderately long lived vibrational states of TeH$^+$ make possible a frequency uncertainty approaching $1 times 10^{-17}$ with one day of averaging for a single trapped ion. Observation over one year could probe for variation of $mu$ with a sensitivity approaching the $1 times 10^{-18}/textrm{yr}$ level.
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We present a new derivation of the proton-electron mass ratio from the hydrogen molecular ion, HD$^+$. The derivation entails the adjustment of the mass ratio in highly precise theory so as to reproduce accurately measured ro-vibrational frequencies. This work is motivated by recent improvements of the theory, as well as the more accurate value of the electron mass in the recently published CODATA-14 set of fundamental constants, which justifies using it as input data in the adjustment, rather than the proton mass value as done in previous works. This leads to significantly different sensitivity coefficients and, consequently, a different value and larger uncertainty margin of the proton-electron mass ratio as obtained from HD$^+$.
Rovibronic molecular hydrogen (H$_2$) transitions at redshift $z_{rm abs} simeq 2.659$ towards the background quasar B0642$-$5038 are examined for a possible cosmological variation in the proton-to-electron mass ratio, $mu$. We utilise an archival spectrum from the Very Large Telescope/Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph with a signal-to-noise ratio of $sim$35 per 2.5-km$,$s$^{-1}$ pixel at the observed H$_2$ wavelengths (335--410 nm). Some 111 H$_2$ transitions in the Lyman and Werner bands have been identified in the damped Lyman $alpha$ system for which a kinetic gas temperature of $sim$84 K and a molecular fraction $log f = -2.18pm0.08$ is determined. The H$_2$ absorption lines are included in a comprehensive fitting method, which allows us to extract a constraint on a variation of the proton-electron mass ratio, $Deltamu/mu$, from all transitions at once. We obtain $Deltamu/mu = (17.1 pm 4.5_{rm stat} pm3.7_{rm sys})times10^{-6}$. However, we find evidence that this measurement has been affected by wavelength miscalibration errors recently identified in UVES. A correction based on observations of objects with solar-like spectra gives a smaller $Deltamu/mu$ value and contributes to a larger systematic uncertainty: $Deltamu/mu = (12.7 pm 4.5_{rm stat} pm4.2_{rm sys})times10^{-6}$.
Optical spectroscopy in the gas phase is a key tool to elucidate the structure of atoms and molecules and of their interaction with external fields. The line resolution is usually limited by a combination of first-order Doppler broadening due to particle thermal motion and of a short transit time through the excitation beam. For trapped particles, suitable laser cooling techniques can lead to strong confinement (Lamb-Dicke regime, LDR) and thus to optical spectroscopy free of these effects. For non-laser coolable spectroscopy ions, this has so far only been achieved when trapping one or two atomic ions, together with a single laser-coolable atomic ion [1,2]. Here we show that one-photon optical spectroscopy free of Doppler and transit broadening can also be obtained with more easily prepared ensembles of ions, if performed with mid-infrared radiation. We demonstrate the method on molecular ions. We trap approximately 100 molecular hydrogen ions (HD$^{+}$) within a Coulomb cluster of a few thousand laser-cooled atomic ions and perform laser spectroscopy of the fundamental vibrational transition. Transition frequencies were determined with lowest uncertainty of 3.3$times$10$^{-12}$ fractionally. As an application, we determine the proton-electron mass ratio by matching a precise ab initio calculation with the measured vibrational frequency.
Molecular transitions recently discovered at redshift z_abs=2.059 toward the bright background quasar J2123-0050 are analysed to limit cosmological variation in the proton-to-electron mass ratio, mu=m_p/m_e. Observed with the Keck telescope, the optical spectrum has the highest resolving power and largest number (86) of H_2 transitions in such analyses so far. Also, (7) HD transitions are used for the first time to constrain mu-variation. These factors, and an analysis employing the fewest possible free parameters, strongly constrain mus relative deviation from the current laboratory value: dmu/mu =(+5.6+/-5.5_stat+/-2.7_sys)x10^{-6}. This is the first Keck result to complement recent constraints from three systems at z_abs>2.5 observed with the Very Large Telescope.
Molecular hydrogen transitions in the sub-damped Lyman alpha absorber at redshift z = 2.69, toward the background quasar SDSS J123714.60+064759.5, were analyzed in order to search for a possible variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio mu over a cosmological time-scale. The system is composed of three absorbing clouds where 137 H2 and HD absorption features were detected. The observations were taken with the Very Large Telescope/Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph with a signal-to-noise ratio of 32 per 2.5 km/s pixel, covering the wavelengths from 356.6 to 409.5 nm. A comprehensive fitting method was used to fit all the absorption features at once. Systematic effects of distortions to the wavelength calibrations were analyzed in detail from measurements of asteroid and `solar twin spectra, and were corrected for. The final constraint on the relative variation in mu between the absorber and the current laboratory value is dmu/mu = (-5.4 pm 6.3 stat pm 4.0 syst) x 10^(-6), consistent with no variation over a look-back time of 11.4 Gyrs.
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