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Register a new userMeasuring the electric dipole moment of the electron in BaF
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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.
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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.
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.
The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics fails to explain dark matter and why matter survived annihilation with antimatter following the Big Bang. Extensions to the SM, such as weak-scale Supersymmetry, may explain one or both of these phenomena by positing the existence of new particles and interactions that are asymmetric under time-reversal (T). These theories nearly always predict a small, yet potentially measurable ($10^{-27}$-$10^{-30}$ $e$ cm) electron electric dipole moment (EDM, $d_e$), which is an asymmetric charge distribution along the spin ($vec{S}$). The EDM is also asymmetric under T. Using the polar molecule thorium monoxide (ThO), we measure $d_e = (-2.1 pm 3.7_mathrm{stat} pm 2.5_mathrm{syst})times 10^{-29}$ $e$ cm. This corresponds to an upper limit of $|d_e| < 8.7times 10^{-29}$ $e$ cm with 90 percent confidence, an order of magnitude improvement in sensitivity compared to the previous best limits. Our result constrains T-violating physics at the TeV energy scale.
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.
Experimental searches for the electron electric dipole moment, $d_e$, probe new physics beyond the Standard Model. Recently, the ACME Collaboration set a new limit of $|d_e| <1.1times 10^{-29}$ $ecdot textrm{cm}$ [Nature $textbf{562}$, 355 (2018)], constraining time reversal symmetry (T) violating physics in the 3-100 TeV energy scale. ACME extracts $d_e$ from the measurement of electron spin precession due to the thorium monoxide (ThO) molecules internal electric field. This recent ACME II measurement achieved an order of magnitude increased sensitivity over ACME I by reducing both statistical and systematic uncertainties in the measurement of the electric dipole precession frequency. The ACME II statistical uncertainty was a factor of 1.7 above the ideal shot-noise limit. We have since traced this excess noise to timing imperfections. When the experimental imperfections are eliminated, we show that shot noise limit is attained by acquiring noise-free data in the same configuration as ACME II.
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