TESTS OF FUNDAMENTAL SYMMETRIES ON ISOLATED COMPOUND-NUCLEUS RESONANCES

Previous theoretical work has shown that parity and time-reversal symmetry can be tested with particularly high sensitivity in the domain of isolated compound-nucleus resonances. In this domain, experiments will naturally focus on individual resonances rather than on the background cross section. The theoretical analysis of this situation leads to the concept of an ensemble of on-resonance measurements. This concept naturally emerges by combining two previous theoretical approaches to tests of fundamental symmetries. We investigate the properties of this new ensemble and show how to convert on-resonance data into statistically significant information on symmetry violation. © 1990 The American Physical Society.