0000000001003376
AUTHOR
P. Micke
Sensitivity to New Physics of Isotope Shift Studies using the Coronal Lines of Highly Charged Calcium Ions
Promising searches for new physics beyond the current Standard Model (SM) of particle physics are feasible through isotope-shift spectroscopy, which is sensitive to a hypothetical fifth force between the neutrons of the nucleus and the electrons of the shell. Such an interaction would be mediated by a new particle which could in principle be associated with dark matter. In so-called King plots, the mass-scaled frequency shifts of two optical transitions are plotted against each other for a series of isotopes. Subtle deviations from the expected linearity could reveal such a fifth force. Here, we study experimentally and theoretically six transitions in highly charged ions of Ca, an element …
Production of highly charged ions of rare species by laser-induced desorption inside an electron beam ion trap
This paper reports on the development and testing of a novel, highly efficient technique for the injection of very rare species into electron beam ion traps (EBITs) for the production of highly charged ions (HCI). It relies on in-trap laser-induced desorption of atoms from a sample brought very close to the electron beam resulting in a very high capture efficiency in the EBIT. We have demonstrated a steady production of HCI of the stable isotope 165Ho from samples of only 1012 atoms (∼300 pg) in charge states up to 45+. HCI of these species can be subsequently extracted for use in other experiments or stored in the trapping volume of the EBIT for spectroscopic measurements. The high efficie…
A high-Q superconducting toroidal medium frequency detection system with a capacitively adjustable frequency range >180 kHz
We describe a newly developed polytetrafluoroethylene/copper capacitor driven by a cryogenic piezoelectric slip-stick stage and demonstrate with the chosen layout cryogenic capacitance tuning of ≈60 pF at ≈10 pF background capacitance. Connected to a highly sensitive superconducting toroidal LC circuit, we demonstrate tuning of the resonant frequency between 345 and 685 kHz, at quality factors Q > 100 000. Connected to a cryogenic ultra low noise amplifier, a frequency tuning range between 520 and 710 kHz is reached, while quality factors Q > 86 000 are achieved. This new device can be used as a versatile image current detector in high-precision Penning-trap experiments or as …
Testing CPT Invariance by High-Precision Comparisons of Fundamental Properties of Protons and Antiprotons at BASE
The BASE collaboration at the Antiproton Decelerator facility of CERN compares the fundamental properties of protons and antiprotons using advanced Penning-trap systems. In previous measurement campaigns, we measured the magnetic moments of the proton and the antiproton, reaching (sub-)parts-in-a-billion fractional uncertainty. In the latest campaign, we have compared the proton and antiproton charge-to-mass ratios with a fractional uncertainty of 16 parts in a trillion. In this contribution, we give an overview of the measurement campaign, and detail how its results are used to constrain nine spin-independent coefficients of the Standard-Model Extension in the proton and electron sector.
Glutathione deficiency of the lower respiratory tract in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a disease of unknown aetiology. Increased oxidant burden and antioxidant, e.g. glutathione (GSH), deficiency in the lower respiratory tract have been thought to play a role in the progression of IPF. Sputum induction is a safe noninvasive tool to study inflammation in the respiratory tract. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the direct measurement of GSH in induced sputum supernatant. Sixteen IPF patients and 15 healthy, nonsmoking subjects underwent sputum induction. Total GSH in sputum, saliva and plasma was measured spectrophotometrically. Sputum GSH was decreased more then four-fold in IPF patients when compared to healthy subjects (mean …