Optical clock as a detector of transient variations of fine-structure constant

摘要

We show that a single optical atomic clock is sensitive to a transient variations of fine-structure constant due to differences in the susceptibilities of the atoms and the cavity to this constant. Such transient variations of fundamental constants are expected in cosmological theories assuming the existence of the dark matter in the form of stable topological defects. We present the first experimental constraint on the coupling of transient dark matter to standard-model particles obtained with optical atomic clocks [1]. In our method it is not required to directly compare the frequencies of different clocks and therefore any clock in the world can be used in this type of measurement without the need to extend measurement system.