MRI: Development of Instrumentation for Laser-Cooling and Precision Spectroscopy of Positronium Atoms, Molecules and Condensates

MRI：开发正电子原子、分子和凝聚物的激光冷却和精密光谱分析仪器

• 批准号: 1040590
• 负责人: Harry Tom
• 金额: $ 28.79万
• 依托单位: University of California-Riverside
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-10-01 至 2013-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1040590&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Development; Instrumentation; Laser; Cooling

Instrumentation will be developed for working with positronium atoms, molecules, and condensates. Positronium (Ps)is an exotic atom made of an electron bound to its antiparticle the positron. Once completed, the combined laser-cooling and spectroscopy capability, together with a bright pulsed positron source, will form a unique facility for positronium physics. The new laser instruments will enable laser-cooling of Ps atoms to prepare for high precision optical spectroscopy for cooled Ps atoms. The work will be a first step in the ultimate goal of trapping Ps atoms to form a Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC), which would be the first multi-atom macroscopic state containing antimatter. The new lasers would also provide Ps 1S-2S measurements at new levels of precision which will encourage further developments in bound state quantum electrodynamics (QED) theory and permit their interpretation in terms of the fundamental constants and upper limits on various exotic interactions. The proposed new instrumentation will be integrated with a new high intensity accelerator-based positron beam at the university. Development of the proposed laser instrumentation will create a unique environment for undergraduate and graduate education and training in positron beam technology, atomic and molecular physics, advanced laser science, and precision metrology. Development of cooled positronium will pave the way for production of a BEC of anti-matter, and this will be of great scientific interest. The precision Ps spectroscopy will provide unique tests of fundamental atomic theory, such that unexpected results could unambiguously indicate physics beyond the Standard Model of Particle Physics. This work will have a strong educational component for graduate students due to the multiplicity of experimental techniques required and the large number and variety of interesting thesis topics that it will generate. Once completed, the laser and positron facility will form the basis for additional antimatter-based programs directed toward pre-college students, as well as undergraduate and graduate students, providing material for laboratory tours and popular lectures for high school visitors, summer internships for high school teachers and their students, and a center piece for discussions.

将开发用于正电子原子、分子和冷凝物的仪器。正电子（Ps）是一种奇异的原子，由一个电子与它的反粒子正电子结合而成。一旦完成，结合激光冷却和光谱学能力，加上明亮的脉冲正电子源，将形成一个独特的正电子物理设备。新的激光仪器将实现Ps原子的激光冷却，为冷却后的Ps原子的高精度光学光谱做准备。这项工作将是捕获Ps原子形成玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚物（BEC）的最终目标的第一步，这将是第一个包含反物质的多原子宏观状态。新的激光器还将提供新的精度水平的Ps 1S-2S测量，这将鼓励束缚态量子电动力学（QED）理论的进一步发展，并允许根据基本常数和各种奇异相互作用的上限来解释它们。拟议中的新仪器将与该大学的一种新的基于高强度加速器的正电子束集成在一起。拟议的激光仪器的发展将为正电子束技术、原子和分子物理、先进激光科学和精密计量的本科和研究生教育和培训创造一个独特的环境。冷却正电子的发展将为反物质的BEC的生产铺平道路，这将具有重大的科学意义。精确的Ps光谱学将为基本原子理论提供独特的测试，这样意想不到的结果可以明确地表明粒子物理标准模型之外的物理。这项工作将对研究生有很强的教育成分，因为它需要多种实验技术，并且它将产生大量有趣的论文主题。一旦完成，激光和正电子设施将成为针对大学预科学生以及本科生和研究生的其他反物质项目的基础，为高中访客提供实验室参观和流行讲座的材料，为高中教师和他们的学生提供暑期实习，以及讨论的中心。