Electric Dipole Moment Measurements with Rare Isotopes
- Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
The origin of matter is one of the deepest questions addressed by science and remains a mystery because our understanding of the Big Bang suggests that equal amounts of matter as antimatter would be created and annihilate leaving nothing from which stars, galaxies, planets and ultimately life as we know it was created. We know this is not the case in the universe, and so the explanation that the laws of physics can distinguish the difference of moving forward and backward in time and provide mechanisms that produce more matter that antimatter so that a little bit was left over. These same laws of physics affect our world today and would very slightly change the shape of an atom, stretching is along the direction of the spin of its nucleus. This subtle shape change has been searched in many systems - the neutron, atoms and molecules, but has not yet been detected, even as the motivation is strengthened by our understanding of their structure. We therefore look to new systems that have special features that make these effects stand out. Rare isotopes provide one possibility and specific radon atoms are our choice. We have developed techniques to make these measurements with short-lived radioactive atoms, studied the nuclei to provide deeper understanding of how these affect arise in such atoms (including radium) and developed new laser-based techniques to measure and control the magnetic fields necessary to perform these exquisitely sensitive measurements. In this work we have shown that radioactive radon atoms can be produced and transported to an apparatus that lines up the spins of the atoms. We have also shown that the nuclei of nearby radium are pear shaped and that the radon nuclei likely oscillate from one pear shape to its mirror reflection. We have also used the techniques which control nuclear spin to study the magnetic environment in a magnetically shielded room, which has the smallest magnetic field in a large volume in the universe. Measuring magnetic fields and detecting noble atoms' shapes using lasers will provide new techniques for these measurements and impact a broad range of applications including measurements of the neutron EDM. Harvesting rare isotopes at the future FRIB facility at Michigan State University will provide much stronger sources of the isotopes of radon and radium for future-generation experiments and also provide new isotopes for applications including medicine.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-04ER41331
- OSTI ID:
- 1331820
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-UM-ER41331; TRN: US1800483
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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