0000000000379027
AUTHOR
S. Dickopf
A test of special relativity with stored lithium ions
Laser spectroscopy at the heavy ion storage ring TSR in Heidelberg allows for precision experiments testing the limits of the special theory of relativity. With an opticalΛ-type three-level system of7Li+ the Doppler shift has been measured by saturation spectroscopy as a test of the time dilatation factor γ = (1 −β2)−1/2 at an ion velocity ofυ = 6.4% c. A precision ofΔν/ν < 9 × 10−9 has been obtained, which sets a second-order limit of 1.1 × 10−6 for any deviation from the time dilatation factor. The fourth-order limit of this deviation is set below 2.7 × 10−4 by the present experiment. These limits are given at a 1 σ confidence level.
Precision measurement of two iodine lines at 585 nm and 549 nm
The transition frequencies of thei-component of the R(99)15-1 and thew-component of the R(85)26-0 transition in the B-X system of molecular127I2 have been determined with an overall relative standard uncertainty of 1.3 · 10−10. For this purpose a commercial linear dye laser has been modified and stabilized to the corresponding iodine line. This dye laser serves as a transportable frequency standard which is compared with the wavelength standards of the PTB. The evaluation of an experiment for testing special relativity at the test storage ring (TSR) in Heidelberg is based on the precision of the reported interferometric wavelength comparison.