Parity-violating Interaction Research Articles

Compatibility of Gravitational Baryogenesis with theoretical framework of [formula omitted] Gravity

The primary goal of this article is to analyze the disproportion between matter and antimatter in the Universe using the phenomenon of gravitational baryogenesis under the framework of f(R,G,T) gravity, where R, G and T are Ricci Scalar, Gauss–Bonnet invariant and the trace of energy momentum tensor. This phenomenon based on charge parity violation interactions and in this article we generate it through the coupling between the baryon matter current (Jν) and ∂ν(R+G+T) as well as for generalized case with (Jν) and ∂νf(R+G+T). We evaluate the ratio ηBS (baryon to entropy) of the propose model of f(R,G,T) gravity for gravitational baryogenesis and generalized gravitational baryogenesis with power-law form consideration for the scale factor in different eras of the Universe. We notice that the results of (ηBS) are compatible with its observational bound under the optimal choice of model parameters and hence we say that this gravity is good for gravitational baryogenesis under certain constraints of model parameters.

The Interplay between Tunneling and Parity Violation in Chiral Molecules.

In this review, the concepts of quantum tunneling and parity violation are introduced in the context of chiral molecules. A particle moving in a double well potential provides a good model to study the behavior of chiral molecules, where the left well and right well represent the L and R enantiomers, respectively. If the model considers the quantum behavior of matter, the concept of quantum tunneling emerges, giving place to stereomutation dynamics between left- and right-handed chiral molecules. Parity-violating interactions, like the electroweak one, can be also considered, making possible the existence of an energy difference between the L and R enantiomers, the so-called parity-violating energy difference (PVED). Here we provide a brief account of some theoretical methods usually employed to calculate this PVED, also commenting on relevant experiments devoted to experimentally detect the aforementioned PVED in chiral molecules. Finally, we comment on some ways of solving the so-called Hund's paradox, with emphasis on mean-field theory and decoherence.

Cosmological correlators through the looking glass: reality, parity, and factorisation

We consider the evolution of quantum fields during inflation, and show that the total-energy singularities appearing in the perturbative expansion of the late-time Wavefunction of the Universe are purely real when the external states are massless scalars and massless gravitons. Our proof relies on the tree-level approximation, Bunch-Davies initial conditions, and exact scale invariance (IR-convergence), but without any assumptions on invariance under de Sitter boosts. We consider all n-point functions and allow for the exchange of additional states of any mass and integer spin. Our proof makes use of a decomposition of the inflationary bulk-bulk propagator of massive spinning fields which preserves UV-convergence and ensures that the time-ordered contributions are purely real after we rotate to Euclidean time. We use this reality property to show that the maximally-connected parts of wavefunction coefficients, from which total-energy singularities originate, are purely real. In a theory where all states are in the complementary series, this reality extends to the full wavefunction coefficient. We then use our reality theorem to show that parity-odd correlators (correlators that are mirror asymmetric) are factorised and do not diverge when the total-energy is conserved. We pay special attention to the parity-odd four-point function (trispectrum) of inflationary curvature perturbations and use our reality/factorisation theorems to show that this observable is factorised into a product of cubic diagrams thereby enabling us to derive exact shapes. We present examples of couplings between the inflaton and massive spin-1 and spin-2 fields, with the parity-violation in the trispectrum driven by Chern-Simons corrections to the spinning field two-point function, or from parity-violating cubic interactions which we build within the Effective Field Theory of Inflation. In addition, we present a first-of-its-kind example of a parity-violating trispectrum, generated at tree-level, that arises in a purely scalar theory where the inflaton mixes linearly with an additional massive scalar field.

Can we explain cosmic birefringence without a new light field beyond Standard Model?

The recent analysis of the Planck 2018 polarization data shows a nonzero isotropic cosmic birefringence (ICB) that is not explained within the ΛCDM paradigm. We then explore the question of whether the nonzero ICB is interpreted by the framework of the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT), or at the energy scales of the cosmic microwave background, the low-energy EFT (LEFT) whose dynamical degrees of freedom are five SM quarks and all neutral and charged leptons. Our systematic study reveals that any operator in the EFT on a cosmological background would not give the reported ICB angle, which is observationally consistent with frequency independence. In particular, we estimate the size of the ICB angle generated by the effect that the cosmic microwave background photons travel through the medium of the cosmic neutrino background with parity-violating neutrino-photon interactions and find that it would be too small to explain the data. If the reported ICB angle should be confirmed, then our result would indicate the existence of a new particle that is lighter than the electroweak scale and feebly interacting with the SM particles.

A Relationship between the Molecular Parity-Violation Energy and the Electronic Chirality Measure.

When the weak forces producing parity-violating effects are taken into account, there is a tiny energy difference between the total electronic energies of two enantiomers (ΔEPV), which might be the key to understanding the evolution of the biological homochirality. We focus on the electronic chirality measure (ECM), a powerful descriptor based on the electronic charge density, for quantifying the chirality degree of a molecule, in a representative set of chiral molecules, together with their EPV energies. Our results show a novel, strong, and positive correlation between ΔEPV and ECM, supporting a subtle interplay between the weak forces acting within the nuclei of a given molecule and its chirality. These findings suggest that experimental investigations for molecular parity violation detection should consider molecules with ECM values as large as possible and may support that a chiral signature is imprinted on life by fundamental physics via the parity-violating weak interactions.

Inflation from Multiple Pseudo-scalar Fields: Primordial Black Hole Dark Matter and Gravitational Waves

We study a model of inflation with multiple pseudo-scalar fields coupled to a U(1) gauge field through Chern–Simons interactions. Because of parity-violating interactions, one polarization of the gauge field is amplified, yielding to an enhanced curvature perturbation power spectrum. Inflation proceeds in multiple stages, as each pseudo-scalar field rolls toward its minimum, yielding to distinct multiple peaks in the curvature perturbation power spectra at various scales during inflation. The localized peaks in the power spectra generate primordial black holes that can furnish a large fraction of dark matter abundance. In addition, gravitational waves with nontrivial spectra are generated that are in the sensitivity ranges of various forthcoming GW observatories.

Search for exotic parity-violation interactions with quantum spin amplifiers

Quantum sensing provides sensitive tabletop tools to search for exotic spin-dependent interactions beyond the standard model, which have attracted great attention in theories and experiments. Here, we develop a technique based on Spin Amplifier for Particle PHysIcs REsearch (SAPPHIRE) to resonantly search for exotic interactions, specifically parity-odd spin-spin interactions. The present technique effectively amplifies exotic interaction fields by a factor of about 200 while being insensitive to spurious magnetic fields. Our studies, using such a quantum amplification technique, explore the parity-violation interactions mediated by a new vector boson in the challenging parameter space (force range between 3mm and 1km) and set the most stringent constraints on axial-vector electron-neutron couplings, substantially improving previous limits by five orders of magnitude. Moreover, our constraints on axial-vector couplings between nucleons reach into a hitherto unexplored parameter space. The present constraints complement the existing astrophysical and laboratory studies on potential standard model extensions.

Improved constraints on cosmic birefringence from the WMAP and Planck cosmic microwave background polarization data

The observed pattern of linear polarization of the cosmic microwave background photons is a sensitive probe of physics violating parity symmetry under inversion of spatial coordinates. A new parity-violating interaction might have rotated the plane of linear polarization by an angle $\ensuremath{\beta}$ as the cosmic microwave background photons have been traveling for more than 13 billion years. This effect is known as ``cosmic birefringence.'' In this paper, we present new measurements of cosmic birefringence from a joint analysis of polarization data from two space missions, $Planck$ and WMAP. This dataset covers a wide range of frequencies from 23 to 353 GHz. We measure $\ensuremath{\beta}=0.342{\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}}_{\ensuremath{-}0.091\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}}^{+0.094\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}}$ [68% confidence level (CL)] for nearly full-sky data, which excludes $\ensuremath{\beta}=0$ at 99.987% CL. This corresponds to the statistical significance of $3.6\ensuremath{\sigma}$. There is no evidence for frequency dependence of $\ensuremath{\beta}$. We find a similar result, albeit with a larger uncertainty, when removing the Galactic plane from the analysis.

Curved accretion disks around rotating black holes without reflection symmetry

Rotating black holes without equatorial reflection symmetry can naturally arise in effective low-energy theories of fundamental quantum gravity, in particular, when parity-violating interactions are introduced. Adopting a theory-agnostic approach and considering a recently proposed Kerr-like black hole model, we investigate the structure and properties of accretion disk around a rotating black hole without reflection symmetry. In the absence of reflection symmetry, the accretion disk is in general a curved surface in shape, rather than a flat disk lying on the equatorial plane. Furthermore, the parameter epsilon that controls the reflection asymmetry would shrink the size of the prograde innermost stable circular orbits, and enhance the efficiency of the black hole in converting rest-mass energy to radiation during accretion. The retrograde innermost stable circular orbits are stretched but the effects are substantially suppressed. In addition, we find that spin measurements based on the gravitational redshift observations of the disk, assuming a Kerr geometry, may overestimate the true spin values if the central object is actually a Kerr-like black hole with conspicuous equatorial reflection asymmetry. The qualitative results that the accretion disk becomes curved and the prograde innermost stable circular orbits are shrunk turn out to be generic in our model when the reflection asymmetry is small.

Primordial helical magnetic fields from inflation?

We revisit the mechanism of helical magnetogenesis during inflation with a parity-violating interaction using the formalism of stochastic inflation. One of the polarizations of the gauge field undergoes tachyonic growth, leading to the generation of helical magnetic fields. We obtain the Langevin equations associated with the electromagnetic fields, which are in the form of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck stochastic differential equations. Consequently, the tachyonic growth of the helical magnetic fields is balanced by a mean-reverting process of stochastic dynamics such that the magnetic fields settle down to an equilibrium state with the amplitude smaller than what is obtained in the absence of the stochastic noises. Working in the parameter space of the model where both the backreaction and the strong coupling problems are under control, the model does not provide a large enough seed to be amplified by the galactic dynamo as the source of the magnetic fields observed on cosmological scales.

Stabilization of product states and excited-state quantum phase transitions in a coupled qubit-field system

We study a system of a single qubit (or a few qubits) interacting with a soft-mode bosonic field. Considering an extended version of the Rabi model with both parity-conserving and parity-violating interactions, we disclose a complex arrangement of quantum phase transitions in the ground- and excited-state domains. An experimentally testable signature of some of these transitions is a dynamical stabilization of a fully factorized qubit-field state involving the field vacuum. It happens in the ultrastrong coupling regime where the superradiant field equilibrium is far from the vacuum state. The degree of stabilization varies abruptly with interaction parameters and increases with the softness of the field mode. We analyze semiclassical origins of these effects and show their connection to various forms of excited-state quantum phase transitions.

Relativistic study of parity-violating nuclear spin-rotation tensors.

We present a four-component relativistic approach to describe the effects of the nuclear spin-dependent parity-violating (PV) weak nuclear forces on nuclear spin-rotation (NSR) tensors. The formalism is derived within the four-component polarization propagator theory based on the Dirac-Coulomb Hamiltonian. Such calculations are important for planning and interpretation of possible future experiments aimed at stringent tests of the standard model through the observation of PV effects in NSR spectroscopy. An exploratory application of this theory to the chiral molecules H2X2 (X = 17O, 33S, 77Se, 125Te, and 209Po) illustrates the dramatic effect of relativity on these contributions. In particular, spin-free and spin-orbit effects are even of opposite signs for some dihedral angles, and the latter fully dominate for the heavier nuclei. Relativistic four-component calculations of isotropic nuclear spin-rotation constants, including parity-violating electroweak interactions, give frequency differences of up to 4.2 mHz between the H2Po2 enantiomers; on the nonrelativistic level of theory, this energy difference is 0.1 mHz only.

Enantiomer Superpositions from Matter-Wave Interference of Chiral Molecules

Molecular matter-wave interferometry enables novel strategies for manipulating the internal mechanical motion of complex molecules. Here, we show how chiral molecules can be prepared in a quantum superposition of two enantiomers by far-field matter-wave diffraction and how the resulting tunneling dynamics can be observed. We determine the impact of rovibrational phase averaging and propose a setup for sensing enantiomer-dependent forces, parity-violating weak interactions, and environment-induced superselection of handedness, as suggested to resolve Hund’s paradox. Using ab initio tunneling calculations, we identify [4]-helicene derivatives as promising candidates to implement the proposal with state-of-the-art techniques. This work opens the door for quantum sensing with chiral molecules.Received 20 January 2021Revised 4 June 2021Accepted 14 July 2021DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.11.031056Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasChiralityCold atoms & matter wavesQuantum opticsQuantum sensingPhysical SystemsAtomic & molecular beamsMoleculesTechniquesAb initio calculationsDensity functional theoryInterferometryQuantum chemistry methodsQuantum master equationAtomic, Molecular & OpticalQuantum InformationCondensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Detection of the Faraday Chiral Anisotropy.

The connection between chirality and electromagnetism has attracted much attention through the recent history of science, allowing the discovery of crucial nonreciprocal optical phenomena within the context of fundamental interactions between matter and light. A major phenomenon within this family is the so-called Faraday chiral anisotropy, the long-predicted but yet unobserved effect which arises due to the correlated coaction of both natural and magnetically induced optical activities at concurring wavelengths in chiral systems. Here, we report on the detection of the elusive anisotropic Faraday chiral phenomenon and demonstrate its enantioselectivity. The existence of this fundamental effect reveals the accomplishment of envisioned nonreciprocal electromagnetic metamaterials referred to as Faraday chiral media, systems where novel electromagnetic phenomena such as negative refraction of light at tunable wavelengths or even negative reflection can be realized. From a more comprehensive perspective, our findings have profound implications for the general understanding of parity-violating photon-particle interactions in magnetized media.

Axial and pseudoscalar form factors from charged current quasielastic neutrino-nucleon scattering

We study the scattering of neutrinos on polarized and unpolarized free nucleons, and also the polarization of recoil particles in these scatters. In contrast to electromagnetic processes, the parity-violating weak interaction gives rise to large spin asymmetries at leading order. Future polarization measurements could provide independent access to the proton axial structure and allow the first extraction of the pseudoscalar form factor from neutrino data without the conventional partially conserved axial current (PCAC) ansatz and assumptions about the pion-pole dominance. The pseudoscalar form factor can be accessed with precise measurements with muon (anti)neutrinos of a few hundreds $\mathrm{MeV}$ of energy or with tau (anti)neutrinos. The axial form factor can be extracted from scattering measurements using accelerator neutrinos of all energies.

Energy levels of radium monofluoride RaF in external electric and magnetic fields to search for P - and T,P -violation effects

The RaF molecule is considered to be a potential candidate to search for the electron electric dipole moment and other effects of the time-reversal $(T)$ and spatial parity $(P)$ symmetries violation of fundamental interactions as well as $T$-even, $P$-odd effects. Recently, the existence of a suitable laser-cooling scheme for this molecule was proven experimentally, R. F. Garcia Ruiz et al. [Nature (London) 581, 396 (2020)]. In the present paper, we study energy levels, $g$-factors, and sensitivities to the electron electric dipole moment as functions of the external electric field for the lowest rotational levels of $^{224,226,228}\mathrm{RaF}$ molecules. The state with zero sensitivity to the electron electric dipole moment suitable to test systematic effects is found. Also energy levels of $^{223,225}\mathrm{RaF}$ as functions of the external magnetic field are calculated for the lowest rotational levels. The values of magnetic fields corresponding to the crossing of the levels of opposite parity are found. For these values of the magnetic field, the off-diagonal matrix element of the nuclear spin-dependent parity violation interaction is calculated. The obtained data can be used to design experiments to search for the $T,P$- and $P$-violating effects using the RaF molecule.

Nuclear spin-dependent parity-violating effects in light polyatomic molecules

Measurements of nuclear spin-dependent parity-violating (NSD-PV) effects provide an excellent opportunity to test nuclear models and to search for physics beyond the Standard Model. Molecules possess closely-spaced states with opposite parity which may be easily tuned to degeneracy to greatly enhance the observed parity-violating effects. A high-sensitivity measurement of NSD-PV effects using light triatomic molecules is in preparation [E. B. Norrgard, et al., Commun. Phys. 2, 77 (2019)]. Importantly, by comparing these measurements in light nuclei with prior and ongoing measurements in heavier systems, the contribution to NSD-PV from $Z^0$-boson exchange between the electrons and the nuclei may be separated from the contribution of the nuclear anapole moment. Furthermore, light triatomic molecules offer the possibility to search for new particles, such as the postulated $Z^{\prime}$ boson. In this work, we detail a sensitive measurement scheme and present high-accuracy molecular and nuclear calculations needed for interpretation of NSD-PV experiments on triatomic molecules composed of light elements Be, Mg, N, and C. The ab initio nuclear structure calculations, performed within the No-Core Shell Model (NCSM) provide a reliable prediction of the magnitude of different contributions to the NSD-PV effects in the four nuclei. These results differ significantly from the predictions of the standard single-particle model and highlight the importance of including many-body effects in such calculations. In order to extract the NSD-PV contributions from measurements, a parity-violating interaction parameter $W_{\text{PV}}$, which depends on molecular structure, needs to be known with high accuracy. We have calculated these parameters for the triatomic molecules of interest using the relativistic coupled-cluster approach.

Reduced uncertainty of the axial γZ -box diagram correction to the proton’s weak charge

We present the fully up-to-date calculation of the $\gamma Z$-box correction which needs to be taken into account to determine the weak mixing angle at low energies from parity-violating electron proton scattering. We make use of neutrino and antineutrino inclusive scattering data to predict the parity-violating structure function $F_3^{\gamma Z}$ by isospin symmetry. Our new analysis confirms previous results for the axial contribution to the $\gamma Z$-box graph, and reduces the uncertainty by a factor of~2. In addition, we note that the presence of parity-violating photon-hadron interactions induces an additional contribution via $F_3^{\gamma \gamma}$. Using experimental and theoretical constraints on the nucleon anapole moment we are able to estimate the uncertainty associated with this contribution. We point out that future measurements are expected to significantly reduce this latter uncertainty.

A new concept for searching for time-reversal symmetry violation using Pa-229 ions trapped in optical crystals

Certain pear-shaped nuclei are expected to have enhanced sensitivity to time-reversal and parity-violating interactions originating within the nuclear medium. In particular, Protactinium-229 is thought to be about 100,000 times more sensitive than Mercury-199 which currently sets some of the most stringent limits for these types of interactions. Several challenges would first have to be addressed in order to take advantage of this discovery potential. First, there is not currently a significant source of Pa-229 (1.5 day half-life); however, there are plans to harvest Pa-229 at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University. Second, the spin-5/2 nucleus of Pa-229 limits its coherence time while also making it sensitive to systematic effects related to local electric field gradients. On the other hand, this also give Pa-229 an additional source of signal in the form of a magnetic quadrupole moment (MQM) which violates the same symmetries as an EDM but is not observable in spin-1/2 systems. Third, in order to compensate for the small atom numbers and short coherence times, the Pa-229 atoms would have to be probed with exceptionally large electric and magnetic fields that may be possible if Pa-229 ions are embedded inside an optical crystal. We will describe some aspects of this concept using the stable Praseodymium-141 isotope as a surrogate which has the same nuclear spin and similar atomic structure of Pa-229.

Analysis of Dalitz decays with intrinsic parity-violating interactions in resonance chiral perturbation theory

Observables of light hadron decays are analyzed in a model of chiral Lagrangian which includes resonance fields of vector mesons. In particular, transition form factors are investigated for Dalitz decays of $V\to Pl^+l^-$ and $P\to \gamma l^+l^-$ $(V=1^-, P=0^-)$. Moreover, the differential decay width of $P\to \pi^+\pi^-\gamma$ and the partial widths of $P\to2\gamma, V\to P\gamma, \eta^\prime\to V\gamma, \phi(1020)\to\omega(782)\pi^0$ and $V\to 3P$ are also calculated. In this study, we consider a model which contains octet and singlet fields as representation of $SU(3)$. As an extension of chiral perturbation theory, we include 1-loop ordered interaction terms. For both pseudoscalar and vector meson, we evaluate mixing matrices in which isospin/$SU(3)$ breaking is taken into account. Furthermore, intrinsic parity violating interactions are considered with singlet fields. For parameter estimation, we carry out $\chi^2$ fittings in which a spectral function of $\tau$ decays, vector meson masses, decay widths of $V\to P\gamma$ and transition form factor of $V\to Pl^+l^-$ are utilized as input data. Using the estimated parameter region in the model, we give predictions for decay widths and transition form factors of intrinsic parity violating decays. As further model predictions, we calculate the transition form factors of $\phi(1020)\to \pi^0l^+l^-$ and $\eta^\prime\to\gamma l^+l^-$ in the vicinity of resonance regions, taking account of the contribution for intermediate $\rho(770)$ and $\omega(782)$.