Determination of the Scalar and Vector Polarizabilities of the Cesium 6s~2S_(1/2) → 7s~2S_(1/2) Transition and Implications for Atomic Parity Nonconservation

摘要

Using recent high-precision measurements of electric dipole matrix elements of atomic cesium, we make an improved determination of the scalar (alpha) and vector (beta) polarizabilities of the cesium 6s(2)S(1/2) - 7s(2)S(1/2) transition calculated through a sum-over-states method. We report values of alpha = -268.82(30)a(0)(3) and beta = 27.139(42)a(0)(3) with the highest precision to date. We find a discrepancy between our value of beta and the past preferred value, resulting in a significant shift in the value of the weak charge Q(w) of the cesium nucleus. Future work to resolve the differences in the polarizability will be critical for interpretation of parity nonconservation measurements in cesium, which have implications for physics beyond the standard model.