Status report and first results of the microwave LSW experiment at CERN

To detect or exclude the existence of hidden sector photons or axion like particles, a table-top "microwaves shining through the wall" experiment has been set up at CERN. An overview of the experimental layout is given, the technical challenges involved are reviewed and the measurement procedure including data-evaluation and its results to date are shown.Comment: Contributed to the 8th Patras Workshop on Axions, WIMPs and WISPs, Chicago, July 18-22, 201

Status report of the CERN light shining through the wall experiment with microwave axions and related aspects

One way to proof or exclude the existence of axion like particles is a microwave light shining through the wall experiment. In this publication we will emphasize on the engineering aspects of such a setup, currently under development at CERN. One critical point, to achieve meaningful results, is the electromagnetic shielding between axion-emitter and -receiver cavity, which needs to be in the order of 300 dB to improve over existing experimental bounds. The RF leakage or electromagnetic crosstalk between both cavities must be well controlled and quantified during the complete duration of the experiment. A very narrow band (in the 10^-6 Hz range) homodyne detection method is used to reveal the axion signal from background thermal noise. The current status of the experiment is presented.Comment: Contributed to the "7th Patras Workshop on Axions, WIMPs and WISPs", Mykonos June 26 - July 1 201

First results of the CERN Resonant WISP Search (CROWS)

The CERN Resonant WISP Search (CROWS) probes the existence of Weakly Interacting Sub-eV Particles (WISPs) like axions or hidden sector photons. It is based on the principle of an optical light shining through the wall experiment, adapted to microwaves. Critical aspects of the experiment are electromagnetic shielding, design and operation of low loss cavity resonators and the detection of weak sinusoidal microwave signals. Lower bounds were set on the coupling constant $g = 4.5 \cdot 10^{-8}$GeV$^{-1}$ for axion like particles with a mass of $m_a = 7.2 \mu$eV. For hidden sector photons, lower bounds were set for the coupling constant $\chi = 4.1 \cdot 10^{-9}$ at a mass of $m_{\gamma'} = 10.8 \mu$eV. For the latter we were probing a previously unexplored region in the parameter space

Extended Classical Over-Barrier Model for Collisions of Highly Charged Ions with Conducting and Insulating Surfaces

We have extended the classical over-barrier model to simulate the neutralization dynamics of highly charged ions interacting under grazing incidence with conducting and insulating surfaces. Our calculations are based on simple model rates for resonant and Auger transitions. We include effects caused by the dielectric response of the target and, for insulators, localized surface charges. Characteristic deviations regarding the charge transfer processes from conducting and insulating targets to the ion are discussed. We find good agreement with previously published experimental data for the image energy gain of a variety of highly charged ions impinging on Au, Al, LiF and KI crystals.Comment: 32 pages http://pikp28.uni-muenster.de/~ducree

Attosecond probing of instantaneous AC Stark shifts in helium atoms

Based on numerical solutions of the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation for either one or two active electrons, we propose a method for observing instantaneous level shifts in an oscillating strong infrared (IR) field in time, using a single tunable attosecond pulse to probe excited states of the perturbed atom. The ionization probability in the combined fields depends on both, the frequency of the attosecond pulse and the time delay between both pulses, since the IR field shifts excited energy levels into and out of resonance with the attosecond probe pulse. We show that this method (i) allows the detection of instantaneous atomic energy gaps with sub-laser-cycle time resolution and (ii) can be applied as an ultrafast gate for more complex processes such as non-sequential double-ionization

Probing O+ 2 potential curves with an XUV-IR pump-probe experiment

Citation: Cörlin, P., Fischer, A., Schönwald, M., Sperl, A., Mizuno, T., Thumm, U., . . . Moshammer, R. (2015). Probing O+ 2 potential curves with an XUV-IR pump-probe experiment. 635(11). doi:10.1088/1742-6596/635/11/112060Upon ionization of ground state O2 molecules in a short XUV pulse, we observe a time-dependent vibrational wave packet in the potential of the binding O+ 2 (a4?u) state. Our pump-probe delay dependent kinetic-energy-release (KER) spectra are in qualitative agreement with the results of coupled-channel simulations that are based on calculated Born-Oppenheimer potential-energy curves (PECs). Using a Morse potential adjusted to the experimental data most features of the experimental spectra are reproduced quantitatively. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Probing calculated O-2(+) potential-energy curves with an XUV-IR pump-probe experiment

Citation: Corlin, P., Fischer, A., Schonwald, M., Sperl, A., Mizuno, T., Thumm, U., . . . Moshammer, R. (2015). Probing calculated O-2(+) potential-energy curves with an XUV-IR pump-probe experiment. Physical Review A, 91(4), 8. doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.91.043415We study dissociative photoionization of molecular oxygen in a kinematically complete XUV-IR pump-probe experiment. Detecting charged fragments and photoelectrons in coincidence using a reaction microscope, we observe a pump-probe delay-dependent yield of very low energetic O+ ions which oscillates with a period of 40 fs. This feature is caused by a time-dependent vibrational wave packet in the potential of the binding O-2(+)(a(4)Pi(u))state, which is probed by resonant absorption of a single infrared photon to the weakly repulsive O-2(+)(f(4)Pi(g)) state. By quantitative comparison of the experimental kinetic-energy-release (KER) and quantum-beat (QB) spectra with the results of a coupled-channel simulation, we are able to discriminate between the calculated adiabatic O-2(+) potential-energy curves (PECs) of Marian et al. [Marian, Marian, Peyerimhoff, Hess, Buenker, and Seger, Mol. Phys. 46, 779 (1982)] and Magrakvelidze et al. [Magrakvelidze, Aikens, and Thumm, Phys. Rev. A 86, 023402 (2012)]. In general, we find a good agreement between experimental and simulated KER and QB spectra. However, we could not reproduce all features of the experimental data with these PECs. In contrast, adjusting a Morse potential to the experimental data, most features of the experimental spectra are well reproduced by our simulation. By comparing this Morse potential to theoretically predicted PECs, we demonstrate the sensitivity of our experimental method to small changes in the shape of the binding potential

Cold testing of quasi-optical mode converters using a generator for non-rotating high-order gyrotron modes

In this paper, we test the performance of a quasi-optical, internal-gyrotron mode converter. When cold testing mode converters, a rotating higher-order mode is commonly used. However, this requires a nontrivial design and precise alignment. We thus propose a new technique for testing gyrotron mode converters by using a simple, non-rotating, higher-order mode generator. We demonstrate the feasibility of this technique for a W-band gyrotron quasi-optical mode converter by examining the excitation of a TE6,2 mode from a non-rotating mode generator. Our results demonstrate that this new cold-test scheme is an easy and efficient method for verifying the performance of quasi-optical mode converters.open0