New Physics Searches Using Precision Spectroscopy

Abstract

The exceptional precision attainable using modern spectroscopic techniques provides a promising avenue to search for signatures of physics beyond the Standard Model in tiny shifts of the energy levels of atoms and molecules. We briefly review three categories of new-physics searches based in precision measurements: tests of QED using measurements of the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron and the value of the fine-structure constant, searches for time variation of the fundamental constants, and searches for a permanent electric dipole moment of an electron or atomic nucleus.