Parity violation observed in the beta decay of magnetically trapped Rb-82 atoms

Laser cooling and atomic trapping techniques have been employed to confine polarized Rb-82 atoms (T-1/2 = 75 s) in a magnetic time-orbiting-potential (TOP) trap. We have observed the parity-violating correlation between the e mitted positron momentum and the parent nuclear spin as a continuous functi on of angle and positron energy for this pure Gamow-Teller (GT) transition. These proof-of-principle measurements demonstrate the utility of exploring fundamental symmetries in a TOP trap and the steps required to improve sen sitivity in the search for physics beyond the standard model.