TY - JOUR
T1 - Absolute and ratio measurements of the polarizability of Na, K, and Rb with an atom interferometer
AU - Holmgren, William F.
AU - Revelle, Melissa C.
AU - Lonij, Vincent P.A.
AU - Cronin, Alexander D.
PY - 2010/5/10
Y1 - 2010/5/10
N2 - We measured the ground-state electric-dipole polarizability of sodium, potassium, and rubidium using a Mach-Zehnder atom interferometer with an electric-field gradient. We find αNa=24.11(2)stat(18)sys×10 -24cm3, αK=43.06(14)(33), and αRb=47.24(12)(42). Since these measurements were all performed in the same apparatus and subject to the same systematic errors, we can present polarizability ratios with 0.3% uncertainty. We find αRb/αNa=1.959(5), αK/αNa=1.786(6), and αRb/αK=1.097(5). We combine our ratio measurements with the higher-precision measurement of sodium polarizability by Ekstrom [Phys. Rev. APLRAAN1050-294710.1103/PhysRevA.51.3883 51, 3883 (1995)] to find αK=43.06(21) and αRb=47.24(21).
AB - We measured the ground-state electric-dipole polarizability of sodium, potassium, and rubidium using a Mach-Zehnder atom interferometer with an electric-field gradient. We find αNa=24.11(2)stat(18)sys×10 -24cm3, αK=43.06(14)(33), and αRb=47.24(12)(42). Since these measurements were all performed in the same apparatus and subject to the same systematic errors, we can present polarizability ratios with 0.3% uncertainty. We find αRb/αNa=1.959(5), αK/αNa=1.786(6), and αRb/αK=1.097(5). We combine our ratio measurements with the higher-precision measurement of sodium polarizability by Ekstrom [Phys. Rev. APLRAAN1050-294710.1103/PhysRevA.51.3883 51, 3883 (1995)] to find αK=43.06(21) and αRb=47.24(21).
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U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevA.81.053607
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevA.81.053607
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77952337810
SN - 1050-2947
VL - 81
JO - Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
JF - Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
IS - 5
M1 - 053607
ER -