Chou A S, Wester W, Baumbaugh A, Gustafson H R, Irizarry-Valle Y, Mazur P O, Steffen J H, Tomlin R, Upadhye A, Weltman A, Yang X, Yoo J
Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, New York 10003, USA.
Phys Rev Lett. 2009 Jan 23;102(3):030402. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.030402. Epub 2009 Jan 22.
We report the first results from the GammeV search for chameleon particles, which may be created via photon-photon interactions within a strong magnetic field. Chameleons are hypothesized scalar fields that could explain the dark energy problem. We implement a novel technique to create and trap the reflective particles within a jar and to detect them later via their afterglow as they slowly convert back into photons. These measurements provide the first experimental constraints on the couplings of chameleons to photons.
