New limits on the drift of fundamental constants from laboratory measurements.
/ Authors
M. Fischer, N. Kolachevsky, M. Zimmermann, R. Holzwarth, T. Udem, T. Hänsch, M. Abgrall, J. Grünert, I. Maksimovic, S. Bize
and 10 more authors
H. Marion, F. P. D. Santos, P. Lemonde, G. Santarelli, P. Laurent, A. Clairon, C. Salomon, M. Haas, U. Jentschura, C. Keitel
/ Abstract
We have remeasured the absolute 1S-2S transition frequency nu(H) in atomic hydrogen. A comparison with the result of the previous measurement performed in 1999 sets a limit of (-29+/-57) Hz for the drift of nu(H) with respect to the ground state hyperfine splitting nu(Cs) in 133Cs. Combining this result with the recently published optical transition frequency in 199Hg+ against nu(Cs) and a microwave 87Rb and 133Cs clock comparison, we deduce separate limits on alpha/alpha=(-0.9+/-2.9) x 10(-15) yr(-1) and the fractional time variation of the ratio of Rb and Cs nuclear magnetic moments mu(Rb)/mu(Cs) equal to (-0.5+/-1.7) x 10(-15) yr(-1). The latter provides information on the temporal behavior of the constant of strong interaction.
Journal: Physical review letters