Electric dipole moments in the MSSM at large tanβ

Within the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), the large tanβ regime can lead to important modifications in the pattern of CP-violating sources contributing to low energy electric dipole moments (EDMs). In particular, four-fermion CP-violating interactions induced by Higgs exchange should be accounted for alongside the constituent EDMs of quarks and electrons. To this end, we present a comprehensive analysis of three low energy EDM observables—namely the EDMs of thallium, mercury and the neutron—at large tanβ, in terms of one- and two-loop contributions to the constituent EDMs and four-fermion interactions. We concentrate on the constrained MSSM as well as the MSSM with nonuniversal Higgs masses, and include the CP-violating phases of μ and A. Our results indicate that the atomic EDMs receive significant corrections from four-fermion operators, especially when Im(A) is the only CP-violating source, whereas the neutron EDM remains relatively insensitive to these effects. As a consequence, in a large portion of the parameter space, one cannot infer a separate bound on the electron EDM via the experimental constraint on the thallium EDM. Furthermore, we find that the electron EDM can be greatly reduced due to the destructive interference of one- and two-loop contributions with the latter being dominated by virtual staus.     

Trapped radioactive isotopes for fundamental symmetry investigations

Discrete symmetries tested in high precision atomic physics experiments provide guidance to model building beyond the Standard Model (SM). Here experimental opportunities arise for searches for permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs) and measurements of atomic parity violation (APV). Heavy atoms are favorable for such experiments since symmetry violating effects in atoms increase faster than the third power of the nuclear charge Z. Of special interest are isotopes of the heavy alkaline earth element radium (Z=88) since they offer large enhancement factors for EDMs and provide a new experimental road towards high precision measurements of atomic parity violation. These opportunities are exploited at the TRIμP facility at KVI, Groningen.     

Marked influence of the nature of the chemical bond on CP-violating signature in molecular ions HBr(+) and HI(+)

Heavy polar molecules offer a great sensitivity to the electron electric dipole moment (EDM). To guide emerging searches for EDMs with molecular ions, we estimate the EDM-induced energy corrections for hydrogen halide ions HBr(+) and HI(+) in their respective ground X (2)Pi(3/2) states. We find that the energy corrections due to EDM for the two ions differ by an unexpectedly large factor of 15. We demonstrate that a major part of this enhancement is due to a dissimilarity in the nature of the chemical bond for the two ions: the bond that is nearly of ionic character in HBr(+) exhibits predominantly a covalent nature in HI(+). We conclude that because of this enhancement the HI(+) ion may be a potentially competitive candidate for the EDM search.     

The cyclotron gas stopper project at the NSCL

Permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs) violate parity and time-reversal symmetry. Within the Standard Model (SM), they require CP violation and are many orders of magnitude below present experimental sensitivity. Many extensions of the SM predict much larger EDMs, which are therefore an excellent probe for the existence of ‘new physics.’ So far only electrically neutral systems were used for sensitive searches of EDMs. Several techniques, based on storing fast particles in a magnetic storage ring, are being developed to probe charged particles for an EDM. With the introduction of these novel experimental methods, high sensitivity for charged systems, in particular light nuclei, is within reach. The author represents the Storage Ring EDM Collaboration.     

Nuclear electric dipole moments at ion storage rings

Upper limits on the electric dipole moments (EDM) of elementary particles and atoms are presented, and their physical implications are discussed. The implications following from the neutron and atomic experiments are of comparable interest. The nuclear EDMs can be studied at ion storage rings, with the expected sensitivity much better than . This would represent a serious progress in studies of the CP-violation problem. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Electric dipole moments as probes of new physics

We review several aspects of flavour-diagonal CP-violation, focussing on the role played by the electric dipole moments (EDMs) of leptons, nucleons, atoms, and molecules, which constitute the source of several stringent constraints on new CP-violating physics. We dwell specifically on the calculational aspects of applying the hadronic EDM constraints, reviewing in detail the application of QCD sum-rules to the calculation of nucleon EDMs and CP-odd pion-nucleon couplings. We also consider the current status of EDMs in the Standard Model, and on the ensuing constraints on the underlying sources of CP-violation in physics beyond the Standard Model, focussing on weak-scale supersymmetry.     

Reappraisal of the electric dipole moment enhancement factor for thallium

The electric dipole moment (EDM) enhancement factor of atomic Tl is of considerable interest as it has been used in determining the most accurate limit on the electron EDM to date. However, its value varies from -179 to -1041 in different approximations. In view of the large uncertainties associated with many of these calculations, we perform an accurate calculation employing the relativistic coupled-cluster theory and obtain -466, which in combination with the most accurate measurement of Tl EDM [Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 071805 (2002)] yields a new limit for the electron EDM: |d(e)| < 2.0 × 10?2?e cm.     

Electric dipole moments of lithium atoms in Rydberg states

Recently, the diverse properties of Rydberg atoms, which probably arise from its large electric dipole moment(EDM),have been explored. In this paper, we report electric dipole moments along with Stark energies and charge densities of lithium Rydberg states in the presence of electric fields, calculated by matrix diagonalization. Huge electric dipole moments are discovered. In order to check the validity of the EDMs, we also use these electric dipole moments to calculate the Stark energies by numerical integration. The results agree with those calculated by matrix diagonalization.     

Bino-driven electroweak baryogenesis with highly suppressed electric dipole moments

It is conventional wisdom that successful electroweak baryogenesis in the Minimal Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM) is in tension with the non-observation of electric dipole moments (EDMs), since the level of CP-violation responsible for electroweak baryogenesis is believed to generate unavoidably large EDMs. We show that CP-violation in the bino–Higgsino sector of the MSSM can account for successful electroweak baryogenesis without inducing large EDMs. This observation weakens the correlation between electroweak baryogenesis and EDMs, and makes the bino-driven electroweak baryogenesis scenario the least constrained by EDM limits. Taking this observation together with the requirement of a strongly first-order electroweak phase transition, we argue that a bino-driven scenario with a light stop is the most phenomenologically viable MSSM electroweak baryogenesis scenario.     

Search for permanent EDM using laser cooled Fr atoms

The existence of a non-zero electric dipole moment (EDM) implies the violation of time reversal symmetry. As the time-reversal symmetry violation predicted by the Standard Model (SM) for the electron EDM is too small to be observed with current experimental techniques and any a non-zero EDM would indicate new physics beyond the SM. The tiny signal from the electron EDM is enhanced in the heavy atoms such as francium (Fr). We are constructing the laser-cooled Fr factory to search for the electron EDM.     

Francium sources and traps for fundamental interaction studies

Francium is one of the best candidates for atomic parity nonconservation (APNC) and for the search of permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs). APNC measurements test the weak force between electrons and nucleons at very low momentum transfers. They also represent a unique way to detect weak nucleon-nucleon interactions. EDMs are instead related to the time-reversal symmetry. Preliminary to these fundamental measurements are precision studies in atomic spectroscopy and the development of magneto-optical traps (MOT), which partially compensate for the lack of stable Fr isotopes. At LNL Legnaro, francium is produced by fusion of 100-MeV ¹⁸O with ¹⁹⁷Au in a thick target, followed by evaporation of neutrons from the compound nucleus. Francium diffuses inside the hot target (1200 K) and is surface ionized for injection at 3 keV in an electrostatic beamline. Typically, we produce 1×10⁶ (²¹⁰Fr ions)/s for a primary flux of 1.5×10¹² particles/s. We have studied Fr yields as a function of primary beam energy, intensity, and target temperature. Information on the efficiency of bulk diffusion, surface desorption and ionization is deduced. The beam then enters a Dryfilm-coated cell, where it is neutralized on a heated yttrium plate. The escape time of neutral Fr (diffusion + desorption) is approximately 20 s at 950 K, as measured with a dedicated setup. In the MOT, we use 6 orthogonal Ti:sapphire laser beams for the main pumping transition and 6 beams from a stabilized diode repumper. Fluorescence from trapped atoms is observed with a cooled CCD camera, in order to reach noise levels from stray light equivalent to approximately 50 atoms. Systematic tests are being done to improve the trapping efficiency. We plan to further develop Fr traps at LNL; in parallel, we will study APNC and EDM techniques and systematics with stable alkalis at Pisa, Siena, and Ferrara.     

The radon EDM apparatus

The observation of a permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) at current experimentally accessible levels would provide clear evidence of physics beyond the Standard Model. EDMs violate CP symmetry, making them a possible route to explaining the size of the observed baryon asymmetry in the universe. The Radon EDM Experiment aims to search for an EDM in radon isotopes whose sensitivity to CP-odd interactions is enhanced by octupole-deformed nuclei. A prototype apparatus currently installed in the ISAC hall at TRIUMF includes a gas handling system to move radon from a collection foil to a measurement cell and auxiliary equipment for polarization diagnostics and validation. The features and capabilities of the apparatus are described and an overview of the experimental design for a gamma-ray-anisotropy based EDM measurement is provided.     

Search for electric dipole moments of light ions in storage rings

The Standard Model (SM) of Particle Physics is not capable to account for the apparent matterantimatter asymmetry of our Universe. Physics beyond the SM is required and is searched for by (i) employing highest energies (e.g., at LHC), and (ii) striving for ultimate precision and sensitivity (e.g., in the search for electric dipole moments (EDMs)). Permanent EDMs of particles violate both time reversal (T) and parity (P) invariance, and are via the CPT-theorem also CP-violating. Finding an EDM would be a strong indication for physics beyond the SM, and pushing upper limits further provides crucial tests for any corresponding theoretical model, e.g., SUSY. Direct searches of proton and deuteron EDMs bear the potential to reach sensitivities beyond 10^?29 e cm. For an all-electric proton storage ring, this goal is pursued by the US-based srEDM collaboration [2], while the newly found Julich-based JEDI collaboration [1] is pursuing an approach using a combined electric-magnetic lattice which shall provide access to the EDMs of protons, deuterons, and ³He ions in the same machine. In addition, JEDI has recently proposed to perform a direct measurement of the proton and/or deuteron EDM at COSY using resonant techniques involving Wien filters.     

Analysis of the mass and width of Y(4274) as axialvector molecule-like state

The European Physical Journal C - Permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs) of fundamental particles provide powerful probes for physics beyond the Standard Model. We propose to search for the EDM...     

Nuclear electric dipole moment of He

A permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of a physical system requires time-reversal (T) and parity (P) violation. Experimental programs are currently pushing the limits on EDMs in atoms, nuclei, and the neutron to regimes of fundamental theoretical interest. Here we calculate the magnitude of the P-, T-violating EDM of ³He and the expected sensitivity of such a measurement to the underlying P-, T-violating interactions. Assuming that the coupling constants are of comparable magnitude for π-, ρ-, and ω-exchanges, we find that the pion-exchange contribution dominates. Our results suggest that a measurement of the ³He EDM is complementary to the planned neutron and deuteron experiments, and could provide a powerful constraint for the theoretical models of the pion–nucleon P-, T-violating interaction.     

Improved experimental limit on the electric dipole moment of the neutron

An experimental search for an electric dipole moment (EDM) of the neutron has been carried out at the Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble. Spurious signals from magnetic-field fluctuations were reduced to insignificance by the use of a cohabiting atomic-mercury magnetometer. Systematic uncertainties, including geometric-phase-induced false EDMs, have been carefully studied. The results may be interpreted as an upper limit on the neutron EDM of |d(n)|< 2.9 x 10(-26)e cm (90% C.L.).     

Proposed search for an electric-dipole moment using laser-cooled 171Yb atoms

We propose an experiment to search for a permanent atomic electric-dipole moment (EDM) using laser-cooled 171Yb atoms launched in an atomic fountain. A uniform B field sets the quantization axis, and the Ramsey separated-oscillatory-fields method is used to measure the Zeeman precession frequency of the atoms. Laser beams of appropriate polarization are used for preparation and detection in a given magnetic sublevel. The signature of an EDM is a shift in the Ramsey resonance correlated with application of a large E field. The precision is expected to be at least 20 times better than current limits because the use of a cold atomic beam allows application of E field 10 times larger than in a vapor cell, and the interaction time with the E field is 200 times larger compared to a thermal beam. The leading source of systematic error in beam experiments, the ×/c motional magnetic field, is reduced considerably because of the near-perfect reversal of velocity between up and down trajectories through the E-field region.     

Measurement of permanent electric dipole moments of charged hadrons in storage rings

Permanent Electric Dipole Moments (EDMs) of elementary particles violate two fundamental symmetries: time reversal invariance ( $\mathcal{T}$ ) and parity ( $\mathcal{P}$ ). Assuming the $\mathcal{CPT}$ theorem this implies $\mathcal{CP}$ violation. The $\mathcal{CP}$ violation of the Standard Model is orders of magnitude too small to be observed experimentally in EDMs in the foreseeable future. It is also way too small to explain the asymmetry in abundance of matter and anti-matter in our universe. Hence, other mechanisms of $\mathcal{CP}$ violation outside the realm of the Standard Model are searched for and could result in measurable EDMs. Up to now most of the EDM measurements were done with neutral particles. With new techniques it is now possible to perform dedicated EDM experiments with charged hadrons at storage rings where polarized particles are exposed to an electric field. If an EDM exists the spin vector will experience a torque resulting in change of the original spin direction which can be determined with the help of a polarimeter. Although the principle of the measurement is simple, the smallness of the expected effect makes this a challenging experiment requiring new developments in various experimental areas. Complementary efforts to measure EDMs of proton, deuteron and light nuclei are pursued at Brookhaven National Laboratory and at Forschungszentrum Jülich with an ultimate goal to reach a sensitivity of 10^???29 e·cm.     

Synthesis and red-shifted photoluminescence of single-crystalline ZnO nanowires

Local-oriented single-crystalline ZnO nanowires have been synthesized in large scale by a simple microemulsion method in the presence of sulfonate-polystyrene (S-PS) and dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid sodium salt (DBS). The as-prepared product is characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), infrared (IR) spectra and photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. The nanowires exhibit a local congregation and preferentially grow along the [0 0 2] facet. FT-IR spectrum indicates that S-PS is adsorbed on the surface of ZnO nanowires. The PL spectrum shows evidently red-shifted ultraviolet (UV) emission.