14th Conference on the Intersections of Particle and Nuclear Physics (CIPANP 2022)

A Cryogenic Search for the Neutron Electric Dipole Moment at the Spallation Neutron Source

Aug 31, 2022, 1:30 PM

20m

Poinsettia/Quince 

Parallel session talk Tests of Symmetries and the Electroweak Interaction EW: Tests of Symmetries and the Electroweak Interaction

Speaker

Alina Aleksandrova (California Institute of Technology)

Description

One of the most interesting puzzles in physics is the baryon asymmetry of the universe (BAU). One requirement to explain the observed BAU is the violation of the combined charge conjugation (C) and parity (P) symmetries. While the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics contains sources of CP violation, it is too small to explain the BAU. In order to help reconcile theory and observation, additional sources of CP violation are needed. One of the most sensitive probes of CP violation is the neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM), for which the current upper limit is d_n < 1.8 x 10^-26 e-cm (90% CL). This talk will present the status of a new cryogenic apparatus under construction at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) which aims to reduce the current upper limit by two orders of magnitude with a targeted sensitivity of d_n < 3.0 x 10^-28 e-cm.

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Grants No. 1812340 and 1822502.

Presentation materials

Aleksandrova_nEDMSNS.pptx