New Experimental Limit on the Pauli Exclusion Principle Violation by Electrons-The VIP Experiment

C. Curceanu (petrascu) (1) , S. Bartalucci (1) , S. Bertolucci , M. Bragadireanu , M. Cargnelli , Sergio Di Matteo (2) , J. -P. Egger , C. Guaraldo (1) , M. Iliescu (3) , T. Ishiwatari , M. Laubenstein , J. Marton , E. Milotti , D. Pietreanu (1) , T. Ponta (4) , A. Romero Vidal , D. L. Sirghi (1) , F. Sirghi (1) , L. Sperandio (5) , O. Vazquez Doce , E. Widmann , J. Zmeskal (6)

1 LNF - Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati = National Laboratory of Frascati
2 IPR - Institut de Physique de Rennes
3 SIMaP - Science et Ingénierie des Matériaux et Procédés
4 NIPNE - Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering
5 Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata [Roma] = University of Rome Tor Vergata
6 IMEP - Institut für Mittelenergiephysik

We present an experimental test of the validity of the Pauli Exclusion Principle for electrons based on the concept put forward a few years ago by Ramberg and Snow (Ramberg and Snow in Phys. Lett. B 238:438, 1990). In this experiment we perform a very accurate search of X-rays from the Pauli-forbidden atomic transitions of electrons in the already filled 1S shells of copper atoms. Although the experiment has a simple structure, it poses deep conceptual and interpretational problems. Here we describe the experimental method and recent experimental results, which we interpret as an upper limit for the probability to violate the Pauli Exclusion Principle. We present also future plans to upgrade the experimental apparatus using Silicon Drift Detectors.

Mots clés: Spin-statistics; Violation of the Pauli Exclusion Principle; Atomic (forbidden) transitions; X-ray detectors

Domaines: Physique Générale [physics.gen-ph]

C. Curceanu (petrascu), S. Bartalucci, S. Bertolucci, M. Bragadireanu, M. Cargnelli, et al.. New Experimental Limit on the Pauli Exclusion Principle Violation by Electrons-The VIP Experiment. Foundations of Physics, 2011, 41 (3), pp.282-287. ⟨10.1007/s10701-009-9378-6⟩. ⟨hal-01068814⟩