Department of Physics
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Atomic Physics Seminars
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Where is All the Antimatter? Electron EDM Search in Cold Molecules Edges Closer
Date: Monday, January 30th
Time: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Place: 5310 Chamberlin Hall
Speaker: Xing Wu, Harvard University
Abstract: The Standard Model of particle physics accurately describes all fundamental particles discovered so far. However, it is unable to address two great mysteries in physics, the nature of dark matter and why matter dominates over antimatter throughout the Universe. Novel theories beyond the Standard Model, such as models that incorporate supersymmetry, may explain these phenomena. These models predict very massive particles whose interactions violate time-reversal (T) symmetry and would give rise to an electric dipole moment (EDM) along the electron’s spin. Thus, searching for EDM provides a powerful probe to these new physics and sheds light on the mystery of the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe.
Here, I share with you the exciting journey of the ACME electron EDM search that has set the recent best limit on the value of electron EDM, measured by spin precession in a superposition of quantum states in cold molecules. This result severely constrains T-violating new physics in 330 TeV energy range, exceeding what can be reached at the Large Hadron Collider. New upgrades employing various quantum control and AMO techniques are now underway, projecting over an order of magnitude sensitivity enhancement ffor the next EDM search.
Host: Thad Walker
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