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Register a new userProspects for measuring the electric dipole moment of the electron using electrically trapped polar molecules
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Heavy polar molecules can be used to measure the electric dipole moment of the electron, which is a sensitive probe of physics beyond the Standard Model. The value is determined by measuring the precession of the molecules spin in a plane perpendicular to an applied electric field. The longer this precession evolves coherently, the higher the precision of the measurement. For molecules in a trap, this coherence time could be very long indeed. We evaluate the sensitivity of an experiment where neutral molecules are trapped electrically, and compare this to an equivalent measurement in a molecular beam. We consider the use of a Stark decelerator to load the trap from a supersonic source, and calculate the deceleration efficiency for YbF molecules in both strong-field seeking and weak-field seeking states. With a 1s holding time in the trap, the statistical sensitivity could be ten times higher than it is in the beam experiment, and this could improve by a further factor of five if the trap can be loaded from a source of larger emittance. We study some effects due to field inhomogeneity in the trap and find that rotation of the electric field direction, leading to an inhomogeneous geometric phase shift, is the primary obstacle to a sensitive trap-based measurement.
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We demonstrate one-dimensional sub-Doppler laser cooling of a beam of YbF molecules to 100 $mu$K. This is a key step towards a measurement of the electrons electric dipole moment using ultracold molecules. We compare the effectiveness of magnetically-assisted and polarization-gradient sub-Doppler cooling mechanisms. We model the experiment and find good agreement with our data.
We propose a very sensitive method for measuring the electric dipole moment of the electron using polar molecules embedded in a cryogenic solid matrix of inert-gas atoms. The polar molecules can be oriented in the $hat{rm{z}}$ direction by an applied electric field, as has recently been demonstrated by Park, et al. [Angewandte Chemie {bf 129}, 1066 (2017)]. The trapped molecules are prepared into a state which has its electron spin perpendicular to $hat{rm{z}}$, and a magnetic field along $hat{rm{z}}$ causes precession of this spin. An electron electric dipole moment $d_e$ would affect this precession due to the up to 100~GV/cm effective electric field produced by the polar molecule. The large number of polar molecules that can be embedded in a matrix, along with the expected long coherence times for the precession, allows for the possibility of measuring $d_e$ to an accuracy that surpasses current measurements by many orders of magnitude. Because the matrix can inhibit molecular rotations and lock the orientation of the polar molecules, it may not be necessary to have an electric field present during the precession. The proposed technique can be applied using a variety of polar molecules and inert gases, which, along with other experimental variables, should allow for careful study of systematic uncertainties in the measurement.
We investigate the merits of a measurement of the permanent electric dipole moment of the electron ($e$EDM) with barium monofluoride molecules, thereby searching for phenomena of CP violation beyond those incorporated in the Standard Model of particle physics. Although the BaF molecule has a smaller enhancement factor in terms of the effective electric field than other molecules used in current studies (YbF, ThO and ThF$^+$), we show that a competitive measurement is possible by combining Stark-deceleration, laser-cooling and an intense primary cold source of BaF molecules. With the long coherent interaction times obtainable in a cold beam of BaF, a sensitivity of $5times10^{-30}$ e$cdot$cm for an $e$EDM is feasible. We describe the rationale, the challenges and the experimental methods envisioned to achieve this target.
Because molecules can have their orientation locked when embedded into a solid rare-gas matrix, their hyperfine structure is strongly perturbed relative to the freely rotating molecule. The addition of an electric field further perturbs the structure, and fields parallel and antiparallel to the molecular orientation result in different shifts of the hyperfine structure. These shifts enable the selective detection of molecules with different orientations relative to the axes of a rare-gas crystal, which will be an important ingredient of an improved electron electric dipole moment measurement using large ensembles of polar molecules trapped in rare-gas matrices.
Permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs) of fundamental particles such as the electron are signatures of parity and time-reversal violation due to physics beyond the standard model. EDM measurements probe new physics at energy scales well beyond the reach of present-day colliders. Recent advances in assembling molecules from ultracold atoms have opened up new opportunities for improving the reach of EDM experiments. But better measurement techniques, that are not limited by the magnetic field sensitivity of such molecules, are necessary before these opportunities can be fully exploited. We present a technique that takes advantage of magnetically-insensitive hyperfine clock transitions in polar molecules, and offers new ways to improve both the precision and accuracy of EDM searches with ultracold assembled molecules.
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