Search for drifting constants and fifth forces from precision measurements on molecules

Authors

Wim Ubachs ⋅ NL Department of Physics and Astronomy, VU University Amsterdam

Abstract

Precision measurements of transitions between quantum levels of molecules have opened a new arena for the search of new physics. The comparison of spectral lines measured in the present epoch with those observed in far-distant galaxies at high redshift may reveal variation of fundamental constants on a cosmological time scale. Comparison between precision laboratory experiments and first principles calculations is a test ground to detect deviations from quantum electrodynamics and even the Standard Model of physics.

About the Speaker

Wim Ubachs, Department of Physics and Astronomy, VU University Amsterdam

Wim Ubachs obtained his doctorate degree in 1986 from the University of Nijmegen, for a thesis on high resolution laser spectroscopy. In 1986 he was a visiting scientist at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics and in 1987-1988 he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Chemistry at Stanford University in the group of Prof. R. N. Zare. Since 1988 he is with VU University in Amsterdam, in the period 2000-2010 as Director of the Laser Centre VU. In the period 2001-2004 he has held a part-time Professorship at the Eindhoven University of Technology, in 2002 he was Guest Professor at ETH Zurich, and in summer 2006 at the Tokyo University of Science. Since 2003 he has been a full professor of Atomic, Molecular and Laser Physics at VU, mainly working in laser spectroscopy, where XUV-lasers is his specialty. For the past years he has become involved in the issue of drifting fundamental constants, and therewith in laser precision measurements and in astronomical observations. He has a co-authored over 200 scientific publications.

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Issue

2013: Proceedings of the 31st Samahang Pisika ng Pilipinas Physics Congress

Article ID

SPP2013-PS-3

Section

Invited Presentations

Published

2013-10-23

How to Cite

[1]

W Ubachs, Search for drifting constants and fifth forces from precision measurements on molecules, Proceedings of the Samahang Pisika ng Pilipinas 31, SPP2013-PS-3 (2013). URL: https://proceedings.spp-online.org/article/view/SPP2013-PS-3.