Search For Electric Dipole Moment Research Articles

Methods, analysis, and the treatment of systematic errors for the electron electric dipole moment search in thorium monoxide

We recently set a new limit on the electric dipole moment of the electron (eEDM) (J Baron et al and ACME collaboration 2014 Science 343 269–272), which represented an order-of-magnitude improvement on the previous limit and placed more stringent constraints on many charge-parity-violating extensions to the standard model. In this paper we discuss the measurement in detail. The experimental method and associated apparatus are described, together with the techniques used to isolate the eEDM signal. In particular, we detail the way experimental switches were used to suppress effects that can mimic the signal of interest. The methods used to search for systematic errors, and models explaining observed systematic errors, are also described. We briefly discuss possible improvements to the experiment.

Rabi frequency of the HΔ13 to CΠ1 transition in ThO: Influence of interaction with electric and magnetic fields

Calculations of the correlations between the Rabi frequency on the $H^3\Delta_1$ to $C^1\Pi$ transition in ThO molecule and experimental setup parameters in the electron electric dipole moment (eEDM) search experiment is performed. Calculations are required for estimations of systematic errors in the experiment due to imperfections in laser beams used to prepare the molecule and read out the eEDM signal.

Cryogenic magnetic coil and superconducting magnetic shield for neutron electric dipole moment searches

A magnetic coil operated at cryogenic temperatures is used to produce spatial, relative field gradients below 6ppm/cm, stable for several hours. The apparatus is a prototype of the magnetic components for a neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) search, which will take place at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory using ultra-cold neutrons (UCN). That search requires a uniform magnetic field to mitigate systematic effects and obtain long polarization lifetimes for neutron spin precession measurements. This paper details upgrades to a previously described apparatus [1], particularly the introduction of super-conducting magnetic shielding and the associated cryogenic apparatus. The magnetic gradients observed are sufficiently low for the nEDM search at SNS.

Comparison of ultracold neutron sources for fundamental physics measurements

Ultracold neutrons (UCNs) are key for precision studies of fundamental parameters of the neutron and in searches for new CP violating processes or exotic interactions beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. The most prominent example is the search for a permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron (nEDM). We have performed an experimental comparison of the leading UCN sources currently operating. We have used a 'standard' UCN storage bottle with a volume of 32 liters, comparable in size to nEDM experiments, which allows us to compare the UCN density available at a given beam port.

Theoretical analysis of effective electric fields in mercury monohalides

Mercury monohalides are promising candidates for electron electric dipole moment searches. This is due to their extremely large values of effective electric fields, besides other attractive experimental features. We have elucidated the theoretical reasons of our previous work. We have also presented a detailed analysis of our calculations, by including the most important of the correlation effects' contributions. We have also analyzed the major contributions to the effective electric field, at the Dirac- Fock level, and identified those atomic orbitals' mixings that contribute significantly to it.

Effective field theory, electric dipole moments and electroweak baryogenesis

Negative searches for permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs) heavily constrain models of baryogenesis utilising various higher dimensional charge and parity violating (CPV) operators. Using effective field theory, we create a model independent connection between these EDM constraints and the baryon asymmetry of the universe (BAU) produced during a strongly first order electroweak phase transition. The thermal aspects of the high scale physics driving the phase transition are paramaterised by the usual kink solution for the bubble wall profile. We find that operators involving derivatives of the Higgs field yield CPV contributions to the BAU containing derivatives of the Higgs vacuum expectation value (vev), while non-derivative operators lack such contributions. Consequently, derivative operators cannot be eliminated in terms of non-derivative operators (via the equations of motion) if one is agnostic to the new physics that leads to the phase transition. Thus, we re-classify the independent dimension six operators, restricting ourselves to third generation quarks, gauge bosons and the Higgs. Finally, we calculate the BAU (as a function of the bubble wall width and the cutoff) for a derivative and a non-derivative operator, and relate it to the EDM constraints.

Enhanced effect of CP -violating nuclear magnetic quadrupole moment in a HfF+ molecule

The ${\mathrm{HfF}}^{+}$ cation is a very promising system to use in the search for the electron electric dipole moment (EDM), and a corresponding experiment is carried out by JILA group [H. Loh, K. C. Cossel, M. C. Grau, K.-K. Ni, E. R. Meyer, J. L. Bohn, J. Ye, and E. A. Cornell, Science 342, 1220 (2013); K.-K. Ni, H. Loh, M. Grau, K. C. Cossel, J. Ye, and E. A. Cornell, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 300, 12 (2014). Here we theoretically investigate the cation to search for another effect which violates time-reversal ($T$) and spatial parity ($P$) symmetries---the nuclear magnetic quadrupole moment (MQM) interaction with electrons. We report an accurate ab initio relativistic electronic structure calculations of the molecular parameter ${W}_{M}=0.494 \frac{{10}^{33}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{Hz}}{e\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}}$ that is required to interpret the experimental data in terms of the MQM of the Hf nucleus. For this we have implemented and applied the combined Dirac-Coulomb(-Gaunt) and relativistic effective core potential approaches to treat electron correlation effects from all of the electrons and to take into account high-order correlation effects using the coupled cluster method with single, double, triple and noniterative quadruple cluster amplitudes. We discuss interpretation of the MQM effect in terms of the strength constants of $T,P$-odd nuclear forces, proton and neutron EDMs, the QCD parameter $\ensuremath{\theta}$, and quark chromo-EDMs.

An ϵ′ improvement from right-handed currents

Recent lattice QCD calculations of direct CP violation in $K_L \to \pi \pi$ decays indicate tension with the experimental results. Assuming this tension to be real, we investigate a possible beyond-the-Standard Model explanation via right-handed charged currents. By using chiral perturbation theory in combination with lattice QCD results, we accurately calculate the modification of $\epsilon'/\epsilon$ induced by right-handed charged currents and extract values of the couplings that are necessary to explain the discrepancy, pointing to a scale around $10^2$ TeV. We find that couplings of this size are not in conflict with constraints from other precision experiments, but next-generation hadronic electric dipole moment searches (such as neutron and ${}^{225}$Ra) can falsify this scenario. We work out in detail a direct link, based on chiral perturbation theory, between CP violation in the kaon sector and electric dipole moments induced by right-handed currents which can be used in future analyses of left-right symmetric models.

Combined 4-component and relativistic pseudopotential study of ThO for the electron electric dipole moment search.

A precise theoretical study of the electronic structure of heavy atom diatomic molecules is of key importance to interpret the experiments in the search for violation of time-reversal (T) and spatial-parity (P) symmetries of fundamental interactions in terms of the electron electric dipole moment, eEDM, and dimensionless constant, kT,P, characterizing the strength of the T,P-odd pseudoscalar-scalar electron-nucleus neutral current interaction. The ACME collaboration has recently improved limits on these quantities using a beam of ThO molecules in the electronic H3Δ1 state [J. Baron et al., Science 343, 269 (2014)]. We apply the combined direct relativistic 4-component and two-step relativistic pseudopotential/restoration approaches to a benchmark calculation of the effective electric field, Eeff, parameter of the T,P-odd pseudoscalar-scalar interaction, WT,P, and hyperfine structure constant in Δ13 state of the ThO molecule. The first two parameters are required to interpret the experimental data in terms of the eEDM and kT,P constant. We have investigated the electron correlation for all of the 98 electrons of ThO simultaneously up to the level of the coupled cluster with single, double, and noniterative triple amplitudes, CCSD(T), theory. Contributions from iterative triple and noniterative quadruple cluster amplitudes for the valence electrons have been also treated. The obtained values are Eeff = 79.9 GV/cm, WT,P = 113.1 kHz. The theoretical uncertainty of these values is estimated to be about two times smaller than that of our previous study [L. V. Skripnikov and A. V. Titov, J. Chem. Phys., 142, 024301 (2015)]. It was found that the correlation of the inner- and outer-core electrons contributes 9% to the effective electric field. The values of the molecule frame dipole moment of the Δ13 state and the H3Δ1→X1Σ+ transition energy of ThO calculated within the same methods are in a very good agreement with the experiment.

Progress of the nEDM experiment at the Paul Scherrer Institute

Advances in experimental searches for a neutron Electric Dipole Moment (nEDM, dn) are motivated by the potential discovery of a new source of CP violation beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. The nEDM experiment at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), which with accumulated sensitivity of 1.09 × 10−26e⋅cm (September 2016) is currently the most sensitive nEDM experiment worldwide, uses the Ramsey technique of separated oscillatory fields applied to stored ultracold neutrons. The nEDM measurements depend upon precise information about the magnetic field, which is monitored by a 199Hg co-magnetometer and an array of 133Cs magnetometers. The principle of the magnetic field measurement is based on the optical detection of the Larmor precession frequency of atoms polarized by optical pumping. In this article we present the recent progress of the nEDM experiment as well as details of a magnetic field measurements with special focus on the laser-operated array of high-sensitivity 133Cs magnetometers.

A novel molecular synchrotron for cold collision and EDM experiments.

Limited by the construction demands, the state-of-the-art molecular synchrotrons consist of only 40 segments that hardly make a good circle. Imperfections in the circular structure will lead to the appearance of unstable velocity regions (i.e. stopbands), where molecules of certain forward velocity will be lost from the structure. In this paper, we propose a stopband-free molecular synchrotron. It contains 1570 ring electrodes, which nearly make a perfect circle, capable of confining both light and heavy polar molecules in the low-field-seeking states. Molecular packets can be conveniently manipulated with this synchrotron by various means, like acceleration, deceleration or even trapping. Trajectory calculations are carried out using a pulsed 88SrF molecular beam with a forward velocity of 50 m/s. The results show that the molecular beam can make more than 500 round trips inside the synchrotron with a 1/e lifetime of 6.2 s. The synchrotron can find potential applications in low-energy collision and reaction experiments or in the field of precision measurements, such as the searches for electric dipole moment of elementary particles.

How to Reach a Thousand-Second in-Plane Polarization Lifetime with 0.97-GeV/c Deuterons in a Storage Ring.

We observe a deuteron beam polarization lifetime near 1000s in the horizontal plane of a magnetic storage ring (COSY). This long spin coherence time is maintained through a combination of beam bunching, electron cooling, sextupole field corrections, and the suppression of collective effects through beam current limits. This record lifetime is required for a storage ring search for an intrinsic electric dipole moment on the deuteron at a statistical sensitivity level approaching 10^{-29} e cm.

Electric dipole moments of superheavy elements: A case study on copernicium

The multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock (MCDHF) method was employed to calculate atomic electric dipole moments (EDM) of the superheavy element copernicium (Cn, $Z=112$). The EDM enhancement factors of Cn, here calculated for the first time, are about one order of magnitude larger than those of Hg. The exponential dependence of enhancement factors on atomic number $Z$ along group 12 of the periodic table was derived from the EDMs of the entire homolog series, $^{69}_{30}$Zn, $^{111}_{\phantom{1}48}$Cd, $^{199}_{\phantom{1}80}$Hg, $^{285}_{112}$Cn, and $^{482}_{162}$Uhb. These results show that superheavy elements with sufficiently large half-lives are good candidates for EDM searches.

High-sensitivity measurement ofHe3−He4isotopic ratios for ultracold neutron experiments

Research efforts ranging from studies of solid helium to searches for a neutron electric dipole moment require isotopically purified helium with a ratio of 3He to 4He at levels below that which can be measured using traditional mass spectroscopy techniques. We demonstrate an approach to such a measurement using accelerator mass spectroscopy, reaching the 10e-14 level of sensitivity, several orders of magnitude more sensitive than other techniques. Measurements of 3He/4He in samples relevant to the measurement of the neutron lifetime indicate the need for substantial corrections. We also argue that there is a clear path forward to sensitivity increases of at least another order of magnitude.

Frequency characteristics of nuclear spin oscillator with an artificial feedback toward search for 129Xe atomic electric dipole moment

A 129Xe nuclear spin oscillator with an artificial feedback was constructed, and detailed studies were conducted on its performance, focusing on the frequency stability. As a result, the major sources of drift of the precession frequency in the present spin oscillator setup were identified to be drifts of a solenoid current and an environmental magnetic field. By introducing stabilization systems for the current and the environmental field, which yielded improvements by one order of magnitude on the solenoid current and by a factor of three on the environmental field, a frequency precision of 7.9 nHz was obtained for a one-shot measurement of 3 × 104 s duration. We found, however, that the Allan deviation leveled off at around 30 μHz, indicating a strong need for the precision monitor of the experimental conditions represented by magnetometry. The frequency stability of the spin oscillator is discussed in relation to an experimental search for an electric dipole moment of the 129Xe atom.

Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage preparation of a coherent superposition of ThOH3Δ1states for an improved electron electric-dipole-moment measurement

Experimental searches for the electron electric dipole moment (EDM) probe new physics beyond the Standard Model. The current best EDM limit was set by the ACME Collaboration [Science \textbf{343}, 269 (2014)], constraining time reversal symmetry ($T$) violating physics at the TeV energy scale. ACME used optical pumping to prepare a coherent superposition of ThO $H^3\Delta_1$ states that have aligned electron spins. Spin precession due to the molecule's internal electric field was measured to extract the EDM. We report here on an improved method for preparing this spin-aligned state of the electron by using STIRAP. We demonstrate a transfer efficiency of $75\pm5\%$, representing a significant gain in signal for a next generation EDM experiment. We discuss the particularities of implementing STIRAP in systems such as ours, where molecular ensembles with large phase-space distributions are transfered via weak molecular transitions with limited laser power and limited optical access.

A new search for the atomic EDM of 129Xe at FRM-II

Permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs) arise due to the breaking of time-reversal or, equivalently, CP-symmetry. Although EDM searches have so far only set upper limits, which are many orders of magnitude larger than Standard Model (SM) predictions, the motivation for more sensitive searches is stronger than ever. A new effort at FRM-II incorporating 129Xe and 3He as a co-magnetometer can potentially improve the current limit. The noble gas mixture of 129Xe and 3He is simultanously polarized by spin-exchange optical pumping and then transferred into a high-performance magnetically shielded room. Inside, both species can freely precess in the presence of applied magnetic and electric fields. The precession signals are detected by LTc SQUID sensors. In EDM cells with silicon electrodes we observed spin lifetimes in excess of 2500 s without and with high-voltage applied. This meets one requirement to achieve our goal of improving the EDM limit on 129Xe by several orders of magnitude.

Program for studying fundamental interactions at the PIK reactor facilities

A research program aimed at studying fundamental interactions by means of ultracold and polarized cold neutrons at the GEK-4-4′ channel of the PIK reactor is presented. The apparatus to be used includes a source of cold neutrons in the heavy-water reflector of the reactor, a source of ultracold neutrons based on superfluid helium and installed in a cold-neutron beam extracted from the GEK-4 channel, and a number of experimental facilities in neutron beams. An experiment devoted to searches for the neutron electric dipole moment and an experiment aimed at a measurement the neutron lifetime with the aid of a large gravitational trap are planned to be performed in a beam of ultracold neutrons. An experiment devoted to measuring neutron-decay asymmetries with the aid of a superconducting solenoid is planned in a beam of cold polarized neutrons from the GEK-4′ channel. The second ultracold-neutron source and an experiment aimed at measuring the neutron lifetime with the aid of a magnetic trap are planned in the neutron-guide system of the GEK-3 channel. In the realms of neutrino physics, an experiment intended for sterile-neutrino searches is designed. The state of affairs around the preparation of the experimental equipment for this program is discussed.

Magic and tune-out wavelengths for atomic francium

The frequency dependent polarizabilities of the francium atom are calculated from the available data of energy levels and transition rates. Magic wavelengths for the state insensitive optical dipole trapping are identified from the calculated light shifts of the $7s~^2S_{1/2}$, $7p~^2P_{1/2, 3/2}$ and $8s~^{2}S_{1/2}$ levels of the $7s~^{2}S_{1/2}-7p~^{2}P_{1/2,3/2}$ and $7s~^{2}S_{1/2}-8s~^{2}S_{1/2}$ transitions, respectively. Wavelengths in the ultraviolet, visible and near infrared region is identified that are suitable for cooling and trapping. Magic wavelengths between 600-700~nm and 700-1000~nm region, which are blue and red detuned with the $7s-7p$ and $7s-8s$ transitions are feasible to implement as lasers with sufficient power are available. In addition, we calculated the tune-out wavelengths where the ac polarizability of the ground $7s~^{2}S_{1/2}$ state in francium is zero. These results are beneficial as laser cooled and trapped francium has been in use for fundamental symmetry investigations like searches for an electron permanent electric dipole moment in an atom and for atomic parity non-conservation.

Vacuum test bench for high-voltage tests of storage chambers in the electric dipole moment spectrometer

We describe the structure of the high-voltage test bench for checking individual insulators and their assemblies with separate control of leakage currents in each insulator. The test bench is mainly intended for preparing the high-voltage block of the spectrometer for the search for the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the neutron. The main part of the bench is the high-voltage source with controllable polarity and voltages up to 200 kV with complex control over parameters. An analogous converter is used in experiment on measuring the EDM of the neutron. We report on the results of testing the new design of the storage chambers of the EDM spectrometer operating with a high voltage; we also test the maximal potentialities of the converter under nearly working conditions; its optimization and calibration are performed.