Search for Small Violations of the Symmetrization Postulate in an Excited State of Helium
Abstract
We have searched for the existence of the permutation symmetric 1s2s 1S state of helium in an atomic beam. Such a state directly violates the symmetrization postulate (SP) of quantum mechanics and implies a breakdown of the Pauli exclusion principle. Our data constrain recent SP-violating models at the 5 ppm level. This is the first experiment to look systematically for an SP-violating state with no multiple occupancy of a quantum state.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- June 1995
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.74.4787
- Bibcode:
- 1995PhRvL..74.4787D