Speaker
Description
Low-energy precision tests of electro-weak physics keep playing an essential role in the search for new physics beyond the Standard Model. Atomic parity violation (APV) experiments measure the strength of highly forbidden atomic transitions induced by the parity violating (PV) exchange of Z bosons between electrons and quarks in heavy atoms. APV is also sensitive to additional interactions such as leptoquarks, and is complementary to other approaches such as PV electron scattering. Our group is working towards a measurement in francium (Z=87), the heaviest alkali, at TRIUMF where we capture Fr atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) online to ISAC. The APV signal in Fr is
Supported by NSERC, NRC, TRIUMF, U Manitoba, U Maryland.