Stuttgart 2012 – scientific programme

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A: Fachverband Atomphysik

A 2: Atomic systems in external fields I

A 2.1: Talk

Monday, March 12, 2012, 10:30–10:45, V57.05

Parity Violation in Hydrogen — •Martin-Isbjörn Trappe, Thomas Gasenzer, and Otto Nachtmann — Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Heidelberg

We discuss the propagation of hydrogen atoms in static electric and magnetic fields in a longitudinal atomic beam spin echo (lABSE) Interferometer. The atoms acquire geometric (Berry) phases that exhibit a manifestation of parity-(P-)violation effects arising from electroweak Z-boson exchange between electron and nucleus. We provide analytical as well as numerical calculations of the behaviour of the metastable n=2 states of hydrogen. We are able to systematically search for Berry phases with tailored properties. Besides maximizing P-violating geometric phases emerging for the respective states we also find the possibility to modify their decay rates, nearly at the order of a percent, solely through P-conserving geometric phases.