Atomic parity violation in cesium and implications for new physics

Recent high-precision measurements of atomic parity-nonconserving transitions between the 6S and 7S states of cesium allow for a determination of the weak nuclear charge with a precision of 1.3%, providing an improved test of the standard model at low energy. Implications for new physics are examined in terms of low energy effects on the weak charge, in particular contact interactions and scalar leptoquark limits. Prospects for further improvements are described.