Atomic parity violation measurements in the highly forbidden 6S 1/2 - 7S1/2 caesium transition. - III. Data acquisition and processing. Results and implications

This paper completes the detailed presentation of our PV experiment on the 6S1/2 7S1/2 transition in Cs. A detailed description of the data acquisition and processing is given. The results of two independent measurements made on 0394F = 0 and 0394F =1 hfs components agree, providing an important crosscheck. After a complete reanalysis of systematics and calibration, the precision is slightly improved, leading to the weighted average Im Epv1/03B2 = 1.52 ± 0.18 mV/cm. Later results from an independent group agree quite well. With the semi-empirical value 03B2 = (26.8 ± 0.8) a30, our result yields Epv1 = (0.79 ± 0.10) x 10-11 i |e|a0. Coupled with the atomic calculations, this implies that the weak nuclear charge of Cs is Qw = -68 ± 9. This value agrees with the standard electroweak theory and leads to a weak interaction angle sin2 03B8W = 0.21 ± 0.04. The complementarity of these measurements with high energy experiments is illustrated. J. Physique 47 (1986) 1709-1730 OCTOBRE 1986, Classification Physics Abstracts 35.10W 11.30E 12.30C 32.90