Catherine Schwob

Proton Structure from the Measurement of 2S-2P Transition Frequencies of Muonic Hydrogen

Proton Still Too Small Despite a protons tiny size, it is possible to measure its radius based on its charge or magnetization distributions. Traditional measurements of proton radius were based on the scattering between protons and electrons. Recently, a precision measurement of a line in the spectrum of muonium—an atom consisting of a proton and a muon, instead of an electron—revealed a radius inconsistent with that deduced from scattering studies. Antognini et al. (p. 417; see the Perspective by Margolis) examined a different spectral line of muonium, with results less dependent on theoretical analyses, yet still inconsistent with the scattering result; in fact, the discrepancy increased. A precision spectroscopic measurement of the proton radius indicates a growing discrepancy with respect to scattering results. [Also see Perspective by Margolis] Accurate knowledge of the charge and Zemach radii of the proton is essential, not only for understanding its structure but also as input for tests of bound-state quantum electrodynamics and its predictions for the energy levels of hydrogen. These radii may be extracted from the laser spectroscopy of muonic hydrogen (μp, that is, a proton orbited by a muon). We measured the 2S1/2F=0-2P3/2F=1 transition frequency in μp to be 54611.16(1.05) gigahertz (numbers in parentheses indicate one standard deviation of uncertainty) and reevaluated the 2S1/2F=1-2P3/2F=2 transition frequency, yielding 49881.35(65) gigahertz. From the measurements, we determined the Zemach radius, rZ = 1.082(37) femtometers, and the magnetic radius, rM = 0.87(6) femtometer, of the proton. We also extracted the charge radius, rE = 0.84087(39) femtometer, with an order of magnitude more precision than the 2010-CODATA value and at 7σ variance with respect to it, thus reinforcing the proton radius puzzle.

Controlling spontaneous emission with plasmonic optical patch antennas.

We experimentally demonstrate the control of the spontaneous emission rate and the radiation pattern of colloidal quantum dots deterministically positioned in a plasmonic patch antenna. The antenna consists of a thin gold microdisk separated from a planar gold layer by a few tens of nanometers thick dielectric layer. The emitters are shown to radiate through the entire patch antenna in a highly directional and vertical radiation pattern. Strong acceleration of spontaneous emission is observed, depending on the antenna geometry. Considering the double dipole structure of the emitters, this corresponds to a Purcell factor up to 80 for dipoles perpendicular to the disk.

Determination of the fine structure constant based on bloch oscillations of ultracold atoms in a vertical optical lattice

We report an accurate measurement of the recoil velocity of 87Rb atoms based on Bloch oscillations in a vertical accelerated optical lattice. We transfer about 900 recoil momenta with an efficiency of 99.97% per recoil. A set of 72 measurements of the recoil velocity, each one with a relative uncertainty of about 33 ppb in 20 min integration time, leads to a determination of the fine structure constant with a statistical relative uncertainty of 4.4 ppb. The detailed analysis of the different systematic errors yields to a relative uncertainty of 6.7 ppb. The deduced value of alpha-1 is 137.035 998 78(91).

Thin-Disk Yb:YAG Oscillator-Amplifier Laser, ASE, and Effective Yb:YAG Lifetime

We report on a thin-disk Yb:YAG laser made from a Q-switched oscillator and a multipass amplifier delivering pulses of 48 mJ at 1030 nm. The peculiar requirements for this laser are the short delay time (< 500 ns) between electronic trigger and optical output pulse and the time randomness with which these triggers occur (with trigger to next trigger delay ges 1.5 ms). Details concerning the oscillator dynamics (-switching cycle, intensity stabilization), and the peculiar amplifier layout are given. Simulations of the beam propagation in the amplifier based on the Collins integral and the measured aspherical components of the disk reproduce well the measured beam intensity profiles (with higher order intensity moments) and gains. Measurements of the thermal lens and ASE effects of the disk are also presented. A novel method to deduce the effective Yb:YAG upper state lifetime (under real laser operation and including ASE effects) is presented. That knowledge is necessary to determine gain and stored energy in the active medium and to understand the limiting factors for energy scaling of thin-disk lasers.

Laser spectroscopy of muonic deuterium

The deuteron is too small, too The radius of the proton has remained a point of debate ever since the spectroscopy of muonic hydrogen indicated a large discrepancy from the previously accepted value. Pohl et al. add an important clue for solving this so-called proton radius puzzle. They determined the charge radius of the deuteron, a nucleus consisting of a proton and a neutron, from the transition frequencies in muonic deuterium. Mirroring the proton radius puzzle, the radius of the deuteron was several standard deviations smaller than the value inferred from previous spectroscopic measurements of electronic deuterium. This independent discrepancy points to experimental or theoretical error or even to physics beyond the standard model. Science, this issue p. 669 The charge radius of the deuteron is several standard deviations smaller than the previously accepted value. The deuteron is the simplest compound nucleus, composed of one proton and one neutron. Deuteron properties such as the root-mean-square charge radius rd and the polarizability serve as important benchmarks for understanding the nuclear forces and structure. Muonic deuterium μd is the exotic atom formed by a deuteron and a negative muon μ–. We measured three 2S-2P transitions in μd and obtain rd = 2.12562(78) fm, which is 2.7 times more accurate but 7.5σ smaller than the CODATA-2010 value rd = 2.1424(21) fm. The μd value is also 3.5σ smaller than the rd value from electronic deuterium spectroscopy. The smaller rd, when combined with the electronic isotope shift, yields a “small” proton radius rp, similar to the one from muonic hydrogen, amplifying the proton radius puzzle.

Combination of Bloch oscillations with a Ramsey-Borde interferometer: New determination of the fine structure constant

We report a new experimental scheme which combines atom interferometry with Bloch oscillations to provide a new measurement of the ratio h/mRb. By using Bloch oscillations, we impart to the atoms up to 1600 recoil momenta and thus we improve the accuracy on the recoil velocity measurement. The deduced value of h/mRb leads to a new determination of the fine structure constant alpha(-1) =137.03599945 (62) with a relative uncertainty of 4.6 x 10(-9). The comparison of this result with the value deduced from the measurement of the electron anomaly provides the most stringent test of QED.

Bloch Oscillations of Ultracold Atoms: A Tool for a Metrological Determination of h/m~R~b

We use Bloch oscillations in a horizontal moving standing wave to transfer a large number of photon recoils to atoms with a high efficiency (99.5% per cycle). By measuring the photon recoil of 87Rb, using velocity-selective Raman transitions to select a subrecoil velocity class and to measure the final accelerated velocity class, we have determined h/m(Rb) with a relative precision of 0.4 ppm. To exploit the high momentum transfer efficiency of our method, we are developing a vertical standing wave setup. This will allow us to measure h/m(Rb) better than 10(-8) and hence the fine structure constant alpha with an uncertainty close to the most accurate value coming from the (g-2) determination.

Introduction of a planar defect in a molecularly imprinted photonic crystal sensor for the detection of bisphenol A.

This paper reports the preparation of a molecularly imprinted inverse opal hydrogel containing a 2D defect layer, by combining the Langmuir-Blodgett technique and the photonic crystal template method. By coupling the exceptional characteristics of molecularly imprinted polymers, sensitive to the presence of a target molecule, and those of photonic crystals in a single device, we could obtain a defect-embedded imprinted photonic polymer consisting in a three-dimensional, highly-ordered and interconnected macroporous array, where nanocavities complementary to analytes in shape and binding sites are distributed. As a proof of concept, we prepared a three-dimensional macroporous array of poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) containing molecular imprints of bisphenol A (BPA) and a planar defect layer consisting in macropores of different size. The optical properties of the resulting inverse opal were investigated using reflection spectroscopy. The defect layer was shown to enhance the sensitivity of the photonic crystal material, opening new possibilities towards the development smart optical sensing devices.

Accurate measurement of the frequency of the 6S–8S two-photon transitions in cesium

Abstract Accurate optical frequency measurement is realized on the hyperfine components of the 6S–8S two-photon transition in cesium with an uncertainty of 3×10−10. Light shift and pressure shift are studied. These measurements show that these transitions can be used for the realization of an optical standard at 822 nm, in order to provide new optical frequency references in the visible range.

Controlled modification of single colloidal CdSe/ZnS nanocrystal fluorescence through interactions with a gold surface.

Single colloidal CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals are deposited at various distances from a gold film in order to improve their performance as single photon sources. Photon antibunching is demonstrated and the experimental curves are accurately fitted by theoretical equations. Emission lifetime and intensity are measured and found in excellent agreement with theoretical values. The various effects of a neighbouring gold film are discussed : interferences of the excitation beam, interferences of the fluorescence light, opening of plasmon and lossy-surface-wave modes, modification of the radiation pattern leading to a modified objective collection efficiency. At 80 nm from the gold film, when using an objective with 0.75 numerical aperture, about a 2.4-fold increase of the detected intensity is evidenced.