The nEDM experiment at the SNS

The nEDM collaboration proposes to measure the neutron electric dipole moment at the Spallation Neutron Source (Oak Ridge National Laboratory). The nEDM is a clear signature of CP violation. According to the Standard Model the nEDM is very small (～10^?31 e cm), but many theories predict much higher values. In the proposed experiment polarized cold neutrons from the SNS would be trapped in liquid helium at a temperature of about 400 mK. The neutron spin would precess in a very uniform magnetic field (H ～ 30 mG), and the experiment would measure the change in the precession frequency when a very strong electric field (E ～ 50 kV/cm) is applied. Polarized ³He atoms serve as a co-magnetometer. The goal of the experiment is to measure the nEDM with an accuracy of ～9 × 10^?28 e cm, which is more than an order of magnitude better than existing results.     

Analysis of the charge transfer mechanisms responsible for the current-voltage characteristics of Ca<Subscript>4</Subscript>Ga<Subscript>2</Subscript>S<Subscript>7</Subscript>: Eu<Superscript>3+</Superscript> single crystals

The current-voltage characteristics of Ca₄Ga₂S₇: Eu³⁺ single crystals are measured for the first time, and the processes affecting these characteristics are analyzed theoretically. It is demonstrated that Ca₄Ga₂S₇: Eu³⁺ single crystals are high-resistance semiconductors with a resistivity of ～10⁹ Ω cm and a relative permittivity of 10.55. The electrical properties of the studied materials are governed by traps with activation energies of 0.13 and 0.19 eV and a density ranging from 9.5×10¹⁴ to 2.7×10¹⁵ cm^?3. The one-carrier injection is observed in weak electric fields. In electric fields with a strength of more than 4×10³ V/cm, traps undergo thermal field ionization according to the Pool-Frenkel mechanism. At low temperatures and strong fields (160 K and 5×10⁴ V/cm), the electric current is most likely due to hopping conduction by charge carriers over local levels in the band gap in the vicinity of the Fermi level.     

Relaxation phenomena in TlGa<Subscript>0.99</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>0.01</Subscript>Se<Subscript>2</Subscript> single crystals

The relaxation electronic phenomena occurring in TlGa_0.99Fe_0.01Se₂ single crystals in an external dc electric field are investigated. It is established that these phenomena are caused by electric charges accumulated in the single crystals. The charge relaxation at different electric field strengths and temperatures, the hysteresis of the current-voltage characteristic, and the electric charge accumulated in the TlGa_0.99Fe_0.01Se₂ single crystals are consistent with the relay-race mechanism of transfer of a charge generated at deep-lying energy levels in the band gap due to the injection of charge carriers from the electric contact into the crystal. The parameters characterizing the electronic phenomena observed in the TlGa_0.99Fe_0.01Se₂ single crystals are determined to be as follows: the effective mobility of charge carriers transferred by deep-lying centers μ_f=5.6×10^?2 cm²/(V s) at 300 K and the activation energy of charge transfer ΔE=0.54 eV, the contact capacitance of the sample C _c =5×10^?8 F, the localization length of charge carriers in the crystal d _c =1.17×10^?6 cm, the electric charge time constant of the contact τ=15 s, the time a charge carrier takes to travel through the sample t _t =1.8×10^?3 s, and the activation energy of traps responsible for charge relaxation ΔE _σ = ΔE _Q = 0.58 eV.     

Neutron optics of noncentrosymmetric crystals: New possibility of searches for the neutron electric dipole moment and CP-violating forces

New neutron-optics effects, which were predicted and discovered quite recently in noncentrosymmetric crystals and which can be used to study the fundamental properties of the neutron, are discussed. In particular, strong electric fields of strength up to 10⁸ or 10⁹ V/cm may act in such crystals on the neutron, and this provides new possibilities for measuring the neutron electric dipole moment (EDM) by the crystal-diffraction method. It also becomes possible to perform searches for pseudomagnetic forces acting on neutrons and violating CP invariance. For the range of such forces that satisfies the condition λ _A < 10^?5 cm, the best constraints on the product of the scalar and pseudoscalar coupling constants have already been obtained for the interaction induced by the exchange of a light pseudoscalar (axion-like) particle. The present-day status and prospects of neutron-optics crystal-diffraction experiments aimed at searches for the neutron EDM and pseudomagnetic forces are considered.     

Über Elektronendriftbeweglichkeit und Stoßionisierung in KBr-Kristallen bei hohen elektrischen Feldstärken

A swarm of electrons passing a KBr-crystal has been investigated by fast oscilloscopic techniques at high electric fields (3×10⁴ to 4×10⁵ V/cm). From the temporal current shape we determined the electron drift mobilityμ=15±2 cm²/Vsec, the electron life timeτ=2±0.3 × 10^?7 sec and the multiplication factor. From this measurement the ionization coefficientα for electrons was calculated as a function of the applied electric field.     

Depolarization of a neutron beam in Laue diffraction by a noncentrosymmetric crystal

The depolarization of a neutron beam executing Laue diffraction in a thick (～3.5 cm) noncentrosymmetric α-quartz crystal is observed. This effect was predicted by us earlier and suggested for measuring the electric dipole moment (EDM) of a neutron. The effect is due to an interaction of the magnetic moment of a moving neutron with a strong crystal electric field, as a result of which the neutron spin rotates in opposite directions for waves of two types excited in the crystal. The effect is studied for neutron diffraction by a system of crystallographic (110) planes at Bragg angles close to π/2, up to 87°. It is shown that, for a crystal of thickness L=3.5 cm, a direct beam initially polarized along the reciprocal lattice vector becomes depolarized upon diffraction, irrespective of the value of Bragg angle, whereas the beam polarized perpendicular to the diffraction plane retains its polarization. The Eτ value determining the sensitivity of the method to EDM is experimentally estimated.     

New measurements of the neutron electric dipole moment

We report a new measurement of the neutron electric dipole moment with the PNPI EDM spectrometer using the ultracold neutron source PF2 at the research reactor of the ILL. Its first results can be interpreted as a limit on the neutron electric dipole moment of |d _n | < 5.5 × 10^?26 e cm (90% confidence level).     

Crystal field splitting of Pr3+ in PrAl2 investigated by inelastic neutron scattering

We report the.results of an experimental determination of the crystal field splitting of Pr³⁺ in PrAl₂ by means of inelastic neutron scattering. For the crystal field parameters we obtain B₄ = (47.2 ± 4.0) × 10^?4 meV and B₆ = ? (156 ± 12) × 10^?6 meV.     

In the wonderland of ultra-parallel neutron beams

Bragg reflections from single crystals yield angular widths of a few arcsec for thermal neutron beams. The Bonse-Hart proposal to attain a sharp, nearly rectangular profile by Bragg reflecting neutrons multiply from a channel-cut single crystal, was realized in its totality three and a half decades later by achieving the corresponding Darwin reflection curves for 5.23 Å neutrons. This facilitated SUSANS (Super USANS) measurements in the Q ～ 10^?5 Å^?1 range. The polarized neutron option was introduced into the SUSANS set-up by separating the up- and down-spin neutron beams by ～10 arcsec with a magnetic (air) prism. The neutron angular width has recently been reduced further by an order of magnitude to ～0.6 arcsec by diffracting 5.3 Å neutrons from a judiciously optimized Bragg prism. This constitutes the most parallel monochromatic neutron beam produced to date. I present the first SUSANS spectra probing the Q ～ 10^?6 Å^?1 domain, recorded with this beam.     

Shear localization in dynamic deformation of copper single crystals

Dynamic deformation of copper single crystals, especially of fatigued copper single crystals with different orientations, was conducted on a split-Hopkinson pressure bar apparatus. The strain rates were in the range 2???9?×?10³?s^?1. After dynamic deformation, the adiabatic shear bands (ASBs) were examined in a light microscope and SEM. The width and spacing of ASBs formed under different strain rates in a fatigued copper single crystal were measured and the spacing of ASBs is one-order of magnitude smaller than the theoretical predictions. The possible reasons for the discrepancy were discussed. The critical strains for the ASB formation in four different orientated single crystals at stain rate of about 4?×?10³?s^?1 were determined by examining the post-deformation specimens and dynamic stress–strain curves. It is clearly indicated that the critical strains for the ASB formation are orientation-dependent in copper single crystals. A simple microscopic mechanism for ASB formation in fatigued single crystals was proposed.     

Search for macroscopic CP violating forces using a neutron EDM spectrometer

The search for CP violating forces between nucleons in the so-called axion window of force ranges λ between 2 × 10^?5 m and 0.02 m is interesting because only little experimental information is available there. Axionlike particles would induce a pseudo-magnetic field for neutrons close to bulk matter. A laboratory search investigates neutron spin precession close to a heavy mirror using ultracold neutrons in a magnetic resonance spectrometer. From the absence of a shift of the magnetic resonance we established new constraints on the coupling strength of axion-like particles in terms of the product g _s g _p of scalar and pseudo-scalar dimensionless constants, as a function of the force range λ, g _s g _p λ² ≤ 2 × 10^?21 [cm²] (C.L.95%) for 10^?4 cm < λ < 1 cm. For 0.1 cm < λ < 1 cm previous limits are improved by 4 to 5 orders of magnitude.     

Temperature dependence of the critical magnetic field of the structural transition in MBBA-based ferronematics

We studied the structural transitions in ferronematics based on the thermotropic nematic liquid crystal MBBA (4^′ -methoxybenzylidene-4-n-butylaniline) having a nematic-to-isotropic transition temperature T _N–I?=?48.0^○C and in MBBA-based ferronematics doped with a magnetic suspension consisting of Fe₃O₄ particles (10?nm in diameter) coated with oleic acid as a surfactant. The ferronematic samples were prepared with different volume concentrations of magnetic particles φ?=,1× 10^?4, 2× 10^?4 and 5×10^?4. The temperature dependences of the critical magnetic fields in a bias electric field under strong applied magnetic fields are presented. We calculated the surface density of anchoring energy W at the nematic–magnetic particle boundary. Scaling of the structural transition in the MBBA and MBBA-based ferronematics with the temperature of the nematic-to-isotropic transition was observed.     

Anchoring energy and orientational elasticity of a ferroelectric liquid crystal

The dielectric susceptibility of a helix-free ferroelectric liquid crystal layer has been experimentally and theoretically studied as a function of the layer thickness. The investigation has been performed on the inner branch of the polarization hysteresis loop, in the region of a linear dependence of the polarization on the electric field. The experimental results are explained using the notion of effective layer thickness, which involves the characteristic distance ?? over which the orienting effect of interfaces is operative. Comparison of the experimental data and theoretical results made it possible to estimate this distance as ?? = 41 ??m and evaluate the anchoring energy (W = 2.8 × 10^?3?1.1 × 10^?2 J/m²) and the intralayer elastic constant (K?? ?? 1 × 10^?8?3 × 10^?7 N).     

Absorption of Dy3+ and Nd3+ ions in BaR 2F8 single crystals

The Dy³⁺ absorption and excitation spectra of BaY₂F₈ and BaYb₂F₈ single crystals are investigated in the ultraviolet, vacuum ultraviolet, and visible ranges at a temperature of 300 K. These crystals exhibit intense broad absorption bands due to the spin-allowed 4f-5d transitions in the range (56–78) × 10^?3 cm^?1 and less intense absorption bands that correspond to the spin-forbidden transitions in the range (50–56) × 10^?3 cm^?1. The Nd³⁺ absorption spectra of BaY₂F₈ single crystals are studied in the range (34–82) × 10^?3 cm^?1 at 300 K for different crystal orientations.     

Influence of paired light pulses on the rothstein effect

The influence of paired light pulses with a duration of 1.5 × 10^?6 s and a repetition period from 1.5 × 10^?6 s to 7.2 × 10^?6 s on the Rothstein effect is investigated for the RETINA X-ray film. It is shown that depending on the synchronization of the second light pulse with a single electric field pulse in a photolayer with field strengths of 6 × 10⁶ and 1.5 × 10⁷ V/m, the effect of variation of the integrated optical density of images changes towards higher values as compared to the density of the images formed only by a pair of light pulses. In this case, no negative “field effect” was observed in the given film.     

Monte Carlo simulation of thermal neutron flux of americium–beryllium source used in neutron activation analysis

The neutron activation analysis is a method of exclusively elemental analysis. Its implementation of irradiates the sample which can be analyzed by a high neutron flux, this method is widely used in developed countries with nuclear reactors or accelerators of particle. The purpose of this study is to develop a prototype to increase the neutron flux such as americium–beryllium and have the opportunity to produce radioisotopes. Americium–beryllium is a mobile source of neutron activity of 20 curie, and gives a thermal neutron flux of (1.8 ± 0.0007) × 10⁶ n/cm² s when using water as moderator, when using the paraffin, the thermal neutron flux increases to (2.2 ± 0.0008) × 10⁶ n/cm² s, in the case of adding two solid beryllium barriers, the distance between them is 24 cm, parallel and symmetrical about the source, the thermal flux is increased to (2.5 ± 0.0008) × 10⁶ n/cm² s and in the case of multi-source (6 sources), with-out barriers, increases to (1.17 ± 0.0008) × 10⁷ n/cm² s with a rate of increase equal to 4.3 and with the both barriers flux increased to (1.37 ± 0.0008) × 10⁷ n/cm² s.     

Low temperature heat capacity and magnetic excitation of HoAl2 in a magnetic field

The specific heat of single crystalline HoAl₂ in magnetic fields up to 7.5 T has been measured for the temperature range 1.5–16 K. In addition the energy of a magnetic excitation in a magnetic field of 5 T at 4.2 K has been determined by inelastic neutron scattering. The results have been interpreted with a cubic crystalline electric field and an exchange interaction using the same parameter set B₄=-0.85×10^-4 meV, B₆=+0.71× 10^-6 meV and T_C=31.5 K previously obtained by magnetization measurements.     

Two photon absorption characteristics of bulk GaTe crystal

We have investigated the structural and optical properties of bulk GaTe crystal grown by vertical Bridgman method. Two photon absorption (TPA) properties of GaTe crystal have been investigated by the open aperture Z-scan technique under 1064 nm wavelength with 4 ns or 65 ps pulse durations. The TPA coefficients are greater in ns regime than that of ps regime. Upon increasing intensity of incident light from 5.02×10⁷ W/cm² to 1.07×10⁸ W/cm², the TPA coefficients increased from 3.47×10^?6 cm/W to 8.53×10^?6 cm/W for nanosecond excitation. Similarly, when intensity of incident light was increased from 6.81×10⁸ W/cm² to 9.94×10⁸ W/cm² the TPA coefficients increased from 3.53×10^?7 cm/W to 6.83×10^?7 cm/W for picosecond excitation. Measured TPA coefficient of GaTe crystal is larger than that of GaSe and GaS layered crystals.     

Linear electromechanical effect in free-standing ferroelectric liquid-crystalline films

Mechanical oscillations of free-standing films based on ferroelectric liquid crystals were studied by optical methods. The intrinsic oscillation modes in the samples were excited by applying an alternating electric field parallel to the film surface. The surface viscosity of the films determined using the electromechanical effect was η_s=8.8×10^?3 g/s under normal pressure and η_s=1.5×10^?3 g/s in vacuum. The surface tension measured in a special experiment was σ=35.3 din/cm. It was established that the spectrum of mechanical oscillations in the system studied is affected by the vapors of volatile organic solvents such as kerosene, toluene, and ethyl alcohol. The linear electromechanical effect in the free-standing films was used to observe inversion of the sign of spontaneous polarization in a ferroelectric liquid crystal.     

The electric dipole moment of the neutron in the Kobayashi-Maskawa model

A possible mechanism for producing a neutron electric dipole moment to order G_F² in the Kobayashi-Maskawa model is proposed; the consequent order of magnitude of the dipole moment would be 10^?30 cm in units of the electric charge.