Faculty position in experimental AMO physics at University of Nevada, Reno

The Physics Department of The University of Nevada, Reno invites applications for a full-time tenure-track position at the rank of assistant professor in the area of experimental atomic, molecular, and optical physics. The successful candidate is expected to be an effective teacher and to establish a vigorous research program; start-up funds will be provided.

The University of Nevada, Reno is the State of Nevada’s land grant and historic flagship institution of higher education and is one of eight institutions of higher education governed by the Nevada System of Higher Education. With a growing and increasingly diverse enrollment of approximately 20,000 students and a total budget of $500 million, the University provides a comprehensive selection of degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level. The university has been recognized as a Tier I institution by US News and World Report. Located in the picturesque Truckee Meadows at the base of the Sierra Nevada, the University of Nevada, Reno is just a short distance from the state capitol, the beautiful Lake Tahoe area, and numerous state and national parks.

Required qualifications: Ph.D. in physics or a related field.

Preferred qualifications: Postdoctoral research experience. Evidence of ability and strong commitment to establish a successful research program in atomic, molecular, and optical physics. Evidence of ability and motivation to teach effectively at the undergraduate and graduate level.

Please apply at https://goo.gl/hYsFb2, and please arrange for two or more letters of reference to be sent to Professor Jonathan Weinstein at [email protected]. Applications and letters of reference should be received by February 20th, 2019. The University of Nevada, Reno recognizes that diversity promotes excellence in education and research. We are an inclusive and engaged community and recognize the added value that students, faculty, and staff from different backgrounds bring to the educational experience.

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Dark matter day and the first GPS.DM results

Well, apparently dark matter day is a thing! And perfectly timed to this inaugural event is the publication of our first GPS.DM observatory results. Happy dark matter day!

Search for domain wall dark matter with atomic clocks on board global positioning system satellites

Benjamin M. Roberts,Geoffrey Blewitt, Conner Dailey, Mac Murphy, Maxim Pospelov, Alex Rollings, Jeff Sherman, Wyatt Williams & Andrei Derevianko

Nature Communications 8, Article number: 1195 (2017)

Abstract

Cosmological observations indicate that dark matter makes up 85% of all matter in the universe yet its microscopic composition remains a mystery. Dark matter could arise from ultralight quantum fields that form macroscopic objects. Here we use the global positioning system as a ~ 50,000 km aperture dark matter detector to search for such objects in the form of domain walls. Global positioning system navigation relies on precision timing signals furnished by atomic clocks. As the Earth moves through the galactic dark matter halo, interactions with domain walls could cause a sequence of atomic clock perturbations that propagate through the satellite constellation at galactic velocities ~ 300 km s−1. Mining 16 years of archival data, we find no evidence for domain walls at our current sensitivity level. This improves the limits on certain quadratic scalar couplings of domain wall dark matter to standard model particles by several orders of magnitude.

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Comprehensive review on precision measurements with atoms and molecules

Search for New Physics with Atoms and Molecules

M.S. Safronova, D. Budker, D. DeMille, D. F. Jackson Kimball, A. Derevianko, C. W. Clark

This article reviews recent developments in tests of fundamental physics using atoms and molecules, including the subjects of parity violation, searches for permanent electric dipole moments, tests of the CPT theorem and Lorentz symmetry, searches for spatiotemporal variation of fundamental constants, tests of quantum electrodynamics, tests of general relativity and the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, dark energy and extra forces, and tests of the spin-statistics theorem. Key results are presented in the context of potential new physics and in the broader context of similar investigations in other fields. Ongoing and future experiments of the next decade are discussed.

Full text for this 112 page/24 fig. review is available at arXiv (https://arxiv.org/abs/1710.01833). The paper is currently under review in Reviews of Modern Physics.  Comments/corrections are welcome.

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A data archive for storing precision measurements [Physics Today]

D. Budker and A. Derevianko, Physics Today, September 2015, page 10.

Precision measurements are essential to our understanding of the fundamental laws and symmetries of nature.

Traditionally, fundamental symmetry tests focused on effects that are either time independent or subject to periodic modulation due to Earth’s rotation about its axis or its revolution around the Sun. In recent years, however, attention has been drawn to time-varying effects, starting with the searches for a possible temporal variation of fundamental “constants.” Even more recently, researchers are looking for transient effects1 and oscillating effects2 due to ultralight bosonic particles that could be components of dark matter or dark energy.

To search for nonuniform dark energy or dark matter, researchers have proposed networks of atomic magnetometers and clocks.1The readings of remotely located network sensors are synchronized—for example, using the timing provided by GPS—and analyzed for specific transient features. Also being discussed are hybrid networks consisting of different types of sensors that would be sensitive to different possible interactions with the dark sector (see http://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/v10/n12/extref/nphys3137-s1.pdf).

A compelling example of time-stamped and stored datasets is the orbit and clock estimates of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) available through the International GNSS Service (http://igscb.jpl.nasa.gov). This service is the backbone of modern precision geodesy. The available multiyear archival data can be used to search for transient variations of fundamental constants associated with the galactic motion through the dark-matter halo (see http://www.dereviankogroup.com/gps-dm/).

The field of precision measurement appears to be undergoing a paradigm shift, with new theoretical and experimental ideas sprouting almost daily. For instance, reanalysis of data from using atomic dysprosium to look for the variation of the fine-structure constant and to test Lorentz invariance has set new limits on the scalar dark matter.3,4 That has been made possible by the existence of well-documented, accessible data sets stored electronically.

An example of a new experimental idea is using precise beam-position monitors in particle accelerators to test for specific types of Lorentz-invariance violations.5

Inspired by all those exciting developments, we propose that data streams from any ongoing precision measurements be time-stamped and stored for possible future analysis. We are convinced that the cost of data storage and GPS timing is relatively small and that the data storage will be straightforward to implement technically, though, of course, the price and complexity crucially depend on the precision of the time stamp and the data rate. Conversely, failing to time-stamp and store the data is likely to be an enormous waste. The search for transient effects of the dark sector is already a good motivation to create a data archive, and additional ideas of how to use such data are likely to emerge in the future.

What information should be time-stamped and recorded as a raw data stream? Data from optical and matter interferometers, experiments measuring parity violation and looking for permanent electric dipole moments, precision-measurement ion traps, all precision experiments with antimatter, and, by default, anything measured precisely.

We live in the age of Google and GPS; our thinking about experimental data should be keeping up with the times!

REFERENCES
  1. S. Pustelny  ,  525, 659 (2013); http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/andp.201300061
    A. Derevianko, M. Pospelov,  10, 933 (2014). http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nphys3137
  2. P. W. Graham, S. Rajendran,  88, 035023 (2013); http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.88.035023
    B. M. Roberts  ,  90, 096005 (2014). http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.90.096005
  3. K. V. Tilburg  ,  115, 011802 (2015). http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.011802
  4. Y. V. Stadnik, V. V. Flambaum, arXiv:1504.01798.
  5. B. Wojtsekhowski,  108, 31001 (2014). http://dx.doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/108/31001

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/PT.3.2896

 

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Postdoctoral position GPS.DM collaboration

GPS.DM collaboration analyzes navigational satellite and terrestrial atomic clock data for  exotic physics signatures. In particular, the collaboration searches for transient variations of fundamental constants correlated with the Earth’s galactic motion through the dark matter halo. A postdoctoral associate will be primarily responsible for  mining  massive amounts of historic GPS data and developing statistical analysis.

The postdoc will be located at the University of Nevada, Reno and will be directly collaborating with Dr. Andrei Derevianko (Physics) and Dr. Geoffrey Blewitt (Nevada Geodetic Laboratory). Strong computational skills and familiarity with statistical analysis are preferred.

To apply please contact A. Derevianko (andrei_AT_unr.edu) or G. Blewitt (gblewitt_AT_unr.edu).

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