How the minuscule can contribute to the big picture: the neutron electric dipole moment project at TRIUMF

A permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of a fundamental particle violates both parity (P) and time (T) reversal symmetry and combined charge and parity (CP) reversal symmetry if the combined reversal of charge, parity \textit{and} time (CPT) is preserved. It is a very promising place to search for physics beyond the Standard Model. Ultracold neutrons (UCN) are the ideal tool to study the neutron electric dipole moment since they can be observed for hundreds of seconds. This article summarizes the current searches for the neutron EDM using UCN and introduces the project to measure the neutron electric dipole moment at TRIUMF using its unique accelerator driven spallation neutron and liquid helium UCN source. The aim is to reach a sensitivity for the neutron EDM of around $10^{-27} \,e \cdot$cm.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, MENU 2016 Conference, Kyoto, Japa

Parity-Violating Electron Scattering and the Electric and Magnetic Strange Form Factors of the Nucleon

Measurement of the neutral weak vector form factors of the nucleon provides unique access to the strange quark content of the nucleon. These form factors can be studied using parity-violating electron scattering. A comprehensive program of experiments has been performed at three accelerator laboratories to determine the role of strange quarks in the electromagnetic form factors of the nucleon. This article reviews the remarkable technical progress associated with this program, describes the various methods used in the different experiments, and summarizes the physics results along with recent theoretical calculations.Comment: Invited review for Annual Reviews of Nuclear and Particle Science, Oct 2012; as per Ann. Rev. policy, this is the originally submitted version, before refereeing and editorial wor

Dyons as a source of CP and time invariance violation: electric dipole moments and K-meson decays

We consider a mechanism by which dyons (electrically charged magnetic monopoles) can produce both a T- and P-odd (i.e. time reversal invariance and parity violating) mixed polarizability beta [defined by Delta E = -beta E.B, where Delta E is the energy change when electric (E) and magnetic (B) fields are applied to a system] and a T- and P-odd interaction between two particles: psi_1-bar gamma_5 psi_1 psi_2-bar psi_2, where the psi_i are electron and quark spinors. The latter can create atomic and neutron electric dipole moments (EDMs). From experimental bounds on these we find limits on the properties of dyons. Our best limit, using the experimental limit for the EDM of the Tl atom, is M |Q g (Q^2 - g^2)|^(-1/4) > 6 GeV, where M is the dyon mass and Q is the electric and g the magnetic charge of the dyons. The contribution of dyons to CP violation in K-meson decays is also estimated.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, RevTe

Nanoparticles as a possible moderator for an ultracold neutron source

Ultracold and very cold neutrons (UCN and VCN) interact strongly with nanoparticles due to the similarity of their wavelengths and nanoparticles sizes. We analyze the hypothesis that this interaction can provide efficient cooling of neutrons by ultracold nanoparticles at certain experimental conditions, thus increasing the density of UCN by many orders of magnitude. The present analytical and numerical description of the problem is limited to the model of independent nanoparticles at zero temperature. Constraints of application of this model are discussed

Startup of the High-Intensity Ultracold Neutron Source at the Paul Scherrer Institute

Ultracold neutrons (UCN) can be stored in suitable bottles and observed for several hundreds of seconds. Therefore UCN can be used to study in detail the fundamental properties of the neutron. A new user facility providing ultracold neutrons for fundamental physics research has been constructed at the Paul Scherrer Institute, the PSI UCN source. Assembly of the facility finished in December 2010 with the first production of ultracold neutrons. Operation approval was received in June 2011. We give an overview of the source and the status at startup.Comment: Proceedings of the International Conference on Exotic Atoms and Related Topics - EXA2011 September 5-9, 2011 Austrian Academy of Sciences, Theatersaal, Sonnenfelsgasse 19, 1010 Wien, Austria 6 pages, 3 figure

P and T Violation From Certain Dimension Eight Weinberg Operators

Dimension eight operators of the Weinberg type have been shown to give important contributions to CP violating phenomena, such as the electric dipole moment of the neutron. In this note we show how operators related to these (and expected to occur on equal footing) can give rise to time-reversal violating phenomena such as atomic electric dipole moments. We also estimate the induced parity violating phenomena such as small ``wrong'' parity admixtures in atomic states and find that they are negligible. Uses harvmac.tex and epsf.tex; one figure submitted as a uuencoded, compressed EPS file.Comment: 6 pages, EFI-92-5

Testing isotropy of the universe using the Ramsey resonance technique on ultracold neutron spins

Physics at the Planck scale could be revealed by looking for tiny violations of fundamental symmetries in low energy experiments. In 2008, a sensitive test of the isotropy of the Universe using has been performed with stored ultracold neutrons (UCN), this is the first clock-comparison experiment performed with free neutrons. During several days we monitored the Larmor frequency of neutron spins in a weak magnetic field using the Ramsey resonance technique. An non-zero cosmic axial field, violating rotational symmetry, would induce a daily variation of the precession frequency. Our null result constitutes one of the most stringent tests of Lorentz invariance to date.Comment: proceedings of the PNCMI2010 conferenc

Nucleon Edm from Atomic Systems and Constraints on Supersymmetry Parameters

The nucleon EDM is shown to be directly related to the EDM of atomic systems. From the observed EDM values of the atomic Hg system, the neutron EDM can be extracted, which gives a very stringent constraint on the supersymmetry parameters. It is also shown that the measurement of Nitrogen and Thallium atomic systems should provide important information on the flavor dependence of the quark EDM. We perform numerical analyses on the EDM of neutron, proton and electron in the minimal supersymmetric standard model with CP-violating phases. We demonstrate that the new limit on the neutron EDM extracted from atomic systems excludes a wide parameter region of supersymmetry breaking masses above 1 TeV, while the old limit excludes only a small mass region below 1 TeV.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure file