Experimental Methods to Measure Δ_PVE in Polyatomic Molecules

Three experimental methods have been proposed to measure the parity violating energy difference Δ_PVE in molecules:

• Measurement of the frequency shift between corresponding lines of the two enantiomers of a chiral molecule [1-6]. From theoretical calculations a frequency shift of Δν/ν = 10^-19 – 10^-16 is expected [7-10]. It has to be mentioned that these experiments do not give the absolute value of Δ_PVE but only the difference between the frequency shifts of the two levels of the enantiomers Δ_PVE^* - Δ_PVE.
• Investigation of the optical activity of chiral molecules. This method has been applied successfully to measure Δ_PVE in heavy atoms like Cs [11].
• In the experiments discussed below the measurement of a frequency shift is replaced by the investigation of the time evolution of a molecular state initially prepared with a defined parity [12].

References:

1. V.S.Letokhov, Phys. Letters, A53, 275 (1975); O.N.Kompanets, A.R.Kukudzhanov and V.S.Letokhov, Opt.Commun. 19, 414 (1977)
2. E.Arimondo, P.Glorieux and T.Oka, Opt.Commun. 23, 369 (1977)
3. A.Bauder, A.Beil, D.Luckhaus, F.Müller, and M.Quack, J.Chem.Phys. 106, 7558 (1997)
4. C.Daussy, T.Marrel, A.Amy-Klein, C.Nguyen, C.Bordé, and C.Chardonnet, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 1554 (1989)
5. M.Ziskind, C.Daussy, T.Marrel, and C.Chardonnet, Eur. Phys. J. D20, 219 (2002)
6. M.Schnell and J.Küppers, Farad.Discuss.Chem.Soc.150, 33 (2011)
7. A.Bakasov, T.K.Ha, and M.Quack, J.Chem. Phys. 109, 7263 (1998); R.Berger and M.Quack, J.Chem.Phys. 112, 3148 (2000)
8. M.Quack and J.Stohner, Phys.Rev.Lett. 84, 3807, (2000) and J.Chem.Phys, 119, 11228 (2003)
9. P.Schwerdtfeger, J.K.Laerdahl, and C.Chardonnet, Phys. Rev. Lett. 65, 042508 (2002 )
10. M.Quack, J.Stohner, and M.Willeke, Ann. Rev. Phys. Chem. 59, 741 (2003)
11. S.C.Bennet and C.Wiemann, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 2484 (1999)
12. M.Quack, Chem. Phys. Lett. 132, 147 (1986)