ATOMIC PARITY VIOLATION IN HEAVY ALKALIS: Detection by Stimulated Emission for Cesium and Traps for Cold Francium

The present work deals with the recent advances of atomic spectroscopy experiments on cesium and francium, which aim at precise parity violation (PV) measurements in these atoms. Within the framework of a “double-badged thesis”, the candidate devoted himself on the one hand to the preliminary PV measurement (8% accuracy) of the present Cs experiment at the LKB in Paris and on the other hand to the preparation of a Fr radioactive atomic sample (production and trapping) at the LNL (INFN) in Italy. The two experiments are at very different stages. The measurements reported for cesium were actually made possible thanks to the work initiated in 1991, for the PV detection by stimulated emission. The Italian experiment is instead in a beginning stage: in order to probe the properties of francium, which is unstable, a number of atoms large enough has to be first produced and collected. The PV schemes which proved to be well suited for cesium are a solid starting point for the case of francium.