FB05 Physik

Lehrinhalte
What is the radius of a proton? Are the magic numbers universal or do they change towards the drip lines? Does Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) work correct in the strongest electromagnetic fields available in the laboratory? What are the properties of antiprotons? Why is there more matter than antimatter in the universe? These are some of the pressing questions of modern physics, for which answers might arise from laser spectroscopic experiments. On the search for "physics beyond the standard model" these approaches are based on higher accuracy rather than higher and higher energies. Like a forensic scientist, looking for traces at a site of crime, laser spectroscopy is used to search for tiny indications of new particles or forces, which do not exist in the standard model. Moreover, it is used to study size and properties of exotic atomic nuclei that exist for only a few ms and is invaluable as a preparatory tool to prepare ions and atoms with specific properties in many experiments on nuclear and particle physics. If you want to learn more about the "Why?" and "How?", this lecture is just right for you.

You will learn about the background of the experiments in atomic, nuclear and particle physics, the laser spectroscopic techniques that are used, as well as the methods to produce and prepare the exotic particles that are used in most of the the experiments that are to be discussed. Exotic means systems with short-lived components like myons, pions or radioactive nuclei but also stable systems that do not decay but do not exist under usual conditions, like antihydrogen or highly charged ions as for example Bi82 . Often it is required to store these particles to have sufficient time for their investigation, or to cool them down to achieve the required accuracy. Hence, cooling and storage techniques are also an important part of the lecture.

Instead of excercices, we will run a Journal Club, i.e., you will read an research article and the content will be presented and discussed. Laboratory tours at TU Darmstadt and GSI will be included to give you an idea of the actual setup of such experiments.

Content:

1. SPECTROSCOPY OF HYDROGEN-LIKE SYSTEMS
1.1   Spectroscopy of Hydrogen and Deuterium
1.2   The Proton-Size Puzzle: Laser Spectroscopy on Myonic Hydrogen
1.3   Spectroscopy of Positronium
1.4   Spectroscopy of Antihydrogen
1.5   Spectroscopy of Highly Charged Ions at Storage Rings and in Traps

2. SPECTROSCOPY OF RADIOACTIVE NUCLEI
2.1 Isotope Shift and Hyperfine Structure
2.2 Production of Radioactive Isotopes
2.3 Collinear Laser Spectroscopy and its Applications
2.4 Optical Pumping and ß-NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance)
2.5 Resonance Ionization: Precission and Efficiencyz
2.6 Laser Spectroscopy in Atom Traps
2.7 Laser Spectroscopy in Ion Traps

3. WEAK INTERACTIONS AND DISCRETE SYMMETRIES
3.1   Basics of the Weak Interaction
3.2   Beta-Neutrino Correlations
3.3   Parity Violation in Atoms
3.4   CP-Violation: Searching for Permanent Electric Dipole Moments

4. TEST OF SPECIAL RELATIVITY


 

Voraussetzungen
Participants should have basic knowledge on atomic and nuclear physics on the level of the corresponding Bachelor courses.

Zusätzliche Informationen
On demand, the lecture can be given in english.