Physics Letters B (May 2015)
Constraining interactions mediated by axion-like particles with ultracold neutrons
- S. Afach,
- G. Ban,
- G. Bison,
- K. Bodek,
- M. Burghoff,
- M. Daum,
- M. Fertl,
- B. Franke,
- Z.D. Grujić,
- V. Hélaine,
- M. Kasprzak,
- Y. Kermaïdic,
- K. Kirch,
- P. Knowles,
- H.-C. Koch,
- S. Komposch,
- A. Kozela,
- J. Krempel,
- B. Lauss,
- T. Lefort,
- Y. Lemière,
- A. Mtchedlishvili,
- O. Naviliat-Cuncic,
- F.M. Piegsa,
- G. Pignol,
- P.N. Prashanth,
- G. Quéméner,
- D. Rebreyend,
- D. Ries,
- S. Roccia,
- P. Schmidt-Wellenburg,
- A. Schnabel,
- N. Severijns,
- J. Voigt,
- A. Weis,
- G. Wyszynski,
- J. Zejma,
- J. Zenner,
- G. Zsigmond
Affiliations
- S. Afach
- ETH Zürich, Institute for Particle Physics, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland; Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, D-07747 Jena, Germany
- G. Ban
- LPC Caen, ENSICAEN, Université de Caen, CNRS/IN2P3, Caen, France
- G. Bison
- Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland
- K. Bodek
- Marian Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, 30-059 Cracow, Poland
- M. Burghoff
- Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt, D-10587 Berlin, Germany
- M. Daum
- Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland
- M. Fertl
- ETH Zürich, Institute for Particle Physics, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland
- B. Franke
- ETH Zürich, Institute for Particle Physics, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland; Corresponding author.
- Z.D. Grujić
- Physics Department, University of Fribourg, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
- V. Hélaine
- Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland; LPC Caen, ENSICAEN, Université de Caen, CNRS/IN2P3, Caen, France
- M. Kasprzak
- Physics Department, University of Fribourg, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
- Y. Kermaïdic
- LPSC, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS/IN2P3, Grenoble, France
- K. Kirch
- ETH Zürich, Institute for Particle Physics, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland
- P. Knowles
- Physics Department, University of Fribourg, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
- H.-C. Koch
- Physics Department, University of Fribourg, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland; Institut für Physik, Johannes–Gutenberg–Universität, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
- S. Komposch
- ETH Zürich, Institute for Particle Physics, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland
- A. Kozela
- Henryk Niedwodniczański Institute for Nuclear Physics, 31-342 Cracow, Poland
- J. Krempel
- ETH Zürich, Institute for Particle Physics, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
- B. Lauss
- Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland; Corresponding author.
- T. Lefort
- LPC Caen, ENSICAEN, Université de Caen, CNRS/IN2P3, Caen, France
- Y. Lemière
- LPC Caen, ENSICAEN, Université de Caen, CNRS/IN2P3, Caen, France
- A. Mtchedlishvili
- Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland
- O. Naviliat-Cuncic
- LPC Caen, ENSICAEN, Université de Caen, CNRS/IN2P3, Caen, France
- F.M. Piegsa
- ETH Zürich, Institute for Particle Physics, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
- G. Pignol
- LPSC, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS/IN2P3, Grenoble, France
- P.N. Prashanth
- Instituut voor Kern–en Stralingsfysica, University of Leuven, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
- G. Quéméner
- LPC Caen, ENSICAEN, Université de Caen, CNRS/IN2P3, Caen, France
- D. Rebreyend
- LPSC, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS/IN2P3, Grenoble, France
- D. Ries
- ETH Zürich, Institute for Particle Physics, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland
- S. Roccia
- CSNSM, Université Paris Sud, CNRS/IN2P3, Orsay Campus, France; Corresponding author.
- P. Schmidt-Wellenburg
- Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland
- A. Schnabel
- Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt, D-10587 Berlin, Germany
- N. Severijns
- Instituut voor Kern–en Stralingsfysica, University of Leuven, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
- J. Voigt
- Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt, D-10587 Berlin, Germany
- A. Weis
- Physics Department, University of Fribourg, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
- G. Wyszynski
- ETH Zürich, Institute for Particle Physics, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Marian Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, 30-059 Cracow, Poland
- J. Zejma
- Marian Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, 30-059 Cracow, Poland
- J. Zenner
- ETH Zürich, Institute for Particle Physics, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
- G. Zsigmond
- Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland
- Journal volume & issue
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Vol. 745
pp. 58 – 63
Abstract
We report a new limit on a possible short range spin-dependent interaction from the precise measurement of the ratio of Larmor precession frequencies of stored ultracold neutrons and Hg199 atoms confined in the same volume. The measurement was performed in a ∼1μT vertical magnetic holding field with the apparatus searching for a permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron at the Paul Scherrer Institute. A possible coupling between freely precessing polarized neutron spins and unpolarized nucleons of the wall material can be investigated by searching for a tiny change of the precession frequencies of neutron and mercury spins. Such a frequency change can be interpreted as a consequence of a short range spin-dependent interaction that could possibly be mediated by axions or axion-like particles. The interaction strength is proportional to the CP violating product of scalar and pseudoscalar coupling constants gSgP. Our result confirms limits from complementary experiments with spin-polarized nuclei in a model-independent way. Limits from other neutron experiments are improved by up to two orders of magnitude in the interaction range of 10−6<λ<10−4m. Keywords: CP violation, Short range spin-dependent interaction, Axion, Axion-like particle, Ultracold neutrons, Neutron electric dipole moment