Leefer N, Gerhardus A, Budker D, Flambaum V V, Stadnik Y V
Helmholtz-Institut Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg-Universitat Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
Bethe Center for Theoretical Physics, Physikalisches Institut der Universitat Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
Phys Rev Lett. 2016 Dec 30;117(27):271601. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.271601. Epub 2016 Dec 29.
We propose a new method to search for hypothetical scalar particles that have feeble interactions with standard-model particles. In the presence of massive bodies, these interactions produce a nonzero Yukawa-type scalar-field magnitude. Using radio-frequency spectroscopy data of atomic dysprosium, as well as atomic clock spectroscopy data, we constrain the Yukawa-type interactions of a scalar field with the photon, electron, and nucleons for a range of scalar-particle masses corresponding to length scales >10 cm. In the limit as the scalar-particle mass m_{ϕ}→0, our derived limits on the Yukawa-type interaction parameters are Λ_{γ}≳8×10^{19} GeV, Λ_{e}≳1.3×10^{19} GeV, and Λ_{N}≳6×10^{20} GeV. Our measurements also constrain combinations of interaction parameters, which cannot otherwise be probed with traditional anomalous-force measurements. We suggest further measurements to improve on the current level of sensitivity.
