Pump-probe measurement of atomic parity violation in cesium with a precision of 2.6%

We present the atomic parity violation measurements made in Cs vapour using a pump-probe scheme. After pulsed excitation of the 6S-7S forbidden transition in the presence of a longitudinal electric field, a laser beam resonant with one of the 7S-6P transitions stimulates the 7S atom emission for a duration of 20 ns. The polarisation of the amplified probe beam is analysed. A seven-fold signature allows discrimination of the parity-violating linear dichroism, and real-time calibration by a similar, known, parity-conserving linear dichroism. The zero-field linear dichroism signal due to the magnetic dipole transition moment is observed for the first time, and used for in situ determination of the electric field. The result, Im E 1 pv = (−808±21)×10−14 ea 0, is in perfect agreement with the corresponding, more precise measurement obtained by the Boulder group. A transverse field configuration with large probe amplification could bring atomic parity violation measurements to the 0.1% accuracy level.