Quantum Metrology and Fundamental Physics - University Tübingen, Germany

Bounds on the strength of a spin-independent fifth force: Current reach of hydrogen and helium spectroscopy

Not scheduled

20m

Speaker

Dr Robert Potvliege (Durham University, Physics Department)

Description

It has long been recognised that high‑precision hydrogen spectroscopy places stringent bounds on the strength of a hypothetical new spin‑independent interaction [1,2]. The earlier work in this area has since been extended to the spectroscopy of deuterium, muonic hydrogen, muonic deuterium, helium and muonic helium [3-6], as well as to other theoretical and experimental inputs [7]. These later results and the current experimental status will be briefly reviewed in this talk. The impact of the latest high-precision measurements in hydrogen and helium on constraints on such a fifth force will be outlined. In particular, it will be shown that the recent high‑precision measurement of the 2S-6P interval in hydrogen [8] enables especially tight bounds to be placed on the strength of a new interaction coupling electrons to protons for mediator masses between 0.1 and 10 keV/$c^2$.

[1] S. G. Karshenboim, Phys. Rev. D 82, 073003 (2010).
[2] J. Jaeckel and S. Roy, Phys. Rev. D 82, 125020 (2010).
[3] C. Delaunay, C. Frugiuele, E. Fuchs, and Y. Soreq, Phys. Rev. D 96, 115002 (2017).
[4] M. P. A. Jones, R. M. Potvliege, and M. Spannowsky, Phys. Rev. Res. 2, 013244 (2020).
[5] R. M. Potvliege, A. Nicolson, M. P. A. Jones, and M. Spannowsky,
Phys. Rev. A 108, 052825 (2023).
[6] R. M. Potvliege, New. J. Phys. 27, 045002 (2025).
[7] C. Delaunay et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 121801 (2023).
[8] L. Maisenbacher et al., Nature 650, 845 (2026).