Precision Determination of Electroweak Coupling from Atomic Parity Violation and Implications for Particle Physics

We carry out high-precision calculation of parity violation in a cesium atom, reducing theoretical uncertainty by a factor of 2 compared to previous evaluations. We combine previous measurements with calculations and extract the weak charge of the Cs-133 nucleus, Q(W)=-73.16(29)(expt)(20)(theor). The result is in agreement with the standard model (SM) of elementary particles. This is the most accurate to-date test of the low-energy electroweak sector of the SM. In combination with the results of high-energy collider experiments, we confirm the energy dependence (or running) of the electroweak force over an energy range spanning 4 orders of magnitude (from similar to 10 MeV to similar to 100 GeV). Additionally, our result places constraints on a variety of new physics scenarios beyond the SM. In particular, we increase the lower limit on the masses of extra Z bosons predicted by models of grand unification and string theories.