Sylvia J. Smullin

New experimental constraints on non-Newtonian forces below 100 microm.

We have searched for large deviations from Newtonian gravity by means of a finite-frequency microcantilever-based experiment. Our data eliminate from consideration mechanisms of deviation that posit strengths approximately 10(4) times Newtonian gravity at length scales of 20 microm. This measurement is 3 orders of magnitude more sensitive than others that provide constraints at similar length scales.

New limit on Lorentz- and CPT-violating neutron spin interactions.

We performed a search for neutron spin coupling to a Lorentz- and CPT-violating background field using a magnetometer with overlapping ensembles of K and ³He atoms. The comagnetometer is mounted on a rotary platform for frequent reversal of its orientation. We measure sidereal oscillations in the signal to search for anomalous spin coupling of extra-solar origin. We determine the equatorial components of the background field interacting with the neutron spin to be b˜Xn=(0.1 ± 1.6) × 10⁻³³ GeV and b˜Yn=(2.5 ± 1.6) × 10⁻³³ GeV, improving on the previous limit by a factor of 30. This measurement represents the highest energy resolution of any spin anisotropy experiment.

New test of local Lorentz invariance using a 21Ne-Rb-K comagnetometer.

We develop a new comagnetometer using (21)Ne atoms with nuclear spin I=3/2 and Rb atoms polarized by spin exchange with K atoms to search for tensor interactions that violate local Lorentz invariance. We frequently reverse the orientation of the experiment and search for signals at the first and second harmonics of the sidereal frequency. We constrain 4 of the 5 spatial Lorentz-violating coefficients c(jk)(n) that parametrize anisotropy of the maximum attainable velocity of a neutron at a level of 10(-29), improving previous limits by 2 to 4 orders of magnitude and placing the most stringent constraint on deviations from local Lorentz invariance.