Searches for permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs) of fundamental particles render the possibility to discover New Physics beyond present Standard Theory. New ideas for experiments have come up recently which may allow to lower present limits substantially or even find unambiguous effects. Such are predicted by a variety of speculative models. The identification of potential sources for CP and T-violation will require to study several systems, which all have different sensitivity to possible mechanisms generating EDMs.
We observe that when an ultracold ground state cesium (Cs) atom becomes bound within the electronic cloud of an extended Cs electronic orbit, ultralong-range molecules with giant (kilo-Debye) permanent electric dipole moments form. Large molecular permanent electric dipole moments are challenging to experimentally realize. Meeting this challenge has garnered significant interest because permanent electric dipole moments are important for understanding symmetry breaking in molecular physics, control of chemical reactions and realization of strongly correlated many-body quantum systems. These ne…
A research on a possibility of trapping a particle with permanent electric dipole in an electrostatic field has been conducted. For cylindrical coaxial electrodes, Keplerian orbits for some particles were revealed. The exact criterion of successful trapping on a closed orbit within the electrodes is expressed in dimensionless parameters. For more complicated cases where the exact solution is unknown, a useful tool for numerical solution -- local field map interpolation with continuous first derivatives -- is constructed.
Recently we demonstrated the formation of ultracold polar LiCs molecules in deeply bound levels of the X1S+ ground state, including the rovibrational ground state [J. Deiglmayr et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 133004 (2008)]. Here we report on the first experimental determination of the permanent electric dipole moment of deeply bound LiCs molecules. For X1S+,v"=2 and v"=3 we measure values of mu=5.5(2) Debye and 5.3(2) Debye respectively.
The ground-state permanent dipole moments (PDMs) and molecular dipole polarizabilities (DPs) of open-shell alkaline-earth monofluorides, and atomic DPs of alkaline-earth- and fluorine atoms are reported at the Kramers-restricted configuration interaction level of theory limited to single- and double excitations (KRCISD), using the finite-field approach. Sufficiently large basis sets such as quadruple-zeta (QZ) and augmented-QZ basis sets together with the generalized active space technique is employed to carry out the field dependent energy calculations at the KRCISD level. The PDMs and the co…
We find that two-color fields can induce field-free permanent dipoles in initially isotropic samples of chiral molecules via resonant electronic excitation in a one-$3ω$-photon vs. three-$ω$-photons scheme. These permanent dipoles are enantiosensitive and can be controlled via the relative phase between the two colors. When the two colors are linearly polarized perpendicular to each other, the interference between the two pathways induces excitation sensitive to the molecular handedness and orientation, leading to uniaxial orientation of the excited molecules and to an enantio-sensitive perman…
The permanent electric dipole moment of the X 2 Σ+ electronic ground state of the strontium monofluoride molecule is calculated using a relativistic coupled cluster method. Our result is compared with those of other calculations and that of experiment. Individual contributions arising from different physical effects are presented. The result obtained suggests that the relativistic coupled cluster method used in the present work is capable of yielding accurate results for the permanent electric dipole moments of molecules for which relativistic effects cannot be ignored.
The interplay of the relativistic and correlation effects in the permanent electric dipole moments (PDMs) of the X2Σ+ (ν = 0) electronic ground states of the alkaline earth monoflourides (BeF, MgF, CaF, SrF and BaF) has been studied using a relativistic coupled cluster method (RCCM). The calculations were carried out using double, triple and quadruple zeta basis sets, and with no core orbitals frozen. The results are compared with those of other calculations available in the literature and with experiments. The correlation trends in the PDMs of these molecules are discussed in detail.
We report the results of a new experimental search for a permanent electric dipole moment of 199Hg utilizing a stack of four vapor cells. We find d(199Hg) = (0.49 \pm 1.29_stat \pm 0.76_syst) x 10^{-29} e cm, and interpret this as a new upper bound, |d(199Hg)| < 3.1 x 10^{-29} e cm (95% C.L.). This result improves our previous 199Hg limit by a factor of 7, and can be used to set new constraints on CP violation in physics beyond the standard model.
Longitudinal Zeeman slowers composed of arrays of compact discrete neodymium magnets are proposed. The general properties of these slowers, as well as specific designs of short spin-flip Zeeman slowers for Sr and Rb atoms are described. The advantages of these slowers are their simplicity, low cost and absence of consumed electrical power and corresponding water cooling. The smoothness of the magnetic field together with ease of adjustability makes it possible to operate these slowers near the theoretical limits of deceleration, making them more compact and efficient.
We present the first results of a new search for a permanent electric dipole moment of the ^{199}Hg atom using a UV laser. Our measurements give d(Hg)= - (1.06 +/- 0.49 +/- 0.40) 10^{-28} e cm. We interpret the result as an upper limit |d(Hg)| < 2.1 10^{-28} e cm (95% C.L.), which sets new constraints on theta_{QCD}, chromo-EDMs of the quarks, and CP violation in Supersymmetric models.
The influence of large permanent dipoles on molecular orbital tomography via high-order harmonic generation (HHG) is investigated in this work. It is found that, owing to the modification of the angle-dependent ionization rate resulting from the Stark shift, the one-side-recollision condition for the tomographic imaging can not be satisfied even with the few-cycle driving pulses. To overcome this problem, we employ a tailored driving pulse by adding a weak low-frequency pulse to the few-cycle laser pulse to control the HHG process and the recollision of the continuum electrons are effectively …
We show that combined permanent and induced electric dipole interactions of polar and polarizable molecules with collinear electric fields lead to a sui generis topology of the corresponding Stark energy surfaces and of other observables - such as alignment and orientation cosines - in the plane spanned by the permanent and induced dipole interaction parameters. We find that the loci of the intersections of the surfaces can be traced analytically and that the eigenstates as well as the number of their intersections can be characterized by a single integer index. The value of the index, distinc…
Using special capacitors three experiments to search for a permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of Cesium atom were completed. The electric susceptibility xe of Cs vapor varies in direct proportion to the density N, where xe =70 when N=7.37*1022 m-3! The relationship between xe of Cs vapor and the absolute temperatures T is xe =B/T, where the slope B=320(k) as polar molecules H2O(B=1.50(k)). Its capacitance C at different voltage V was measured. The C-V curve shows that the saturation polarization of Cs vapor has be observed when the field E=7.4*104V/m. Our measurements give the EDM of an Cs…
We propose indium (In) as a possible candidate for observing the permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) arising from the violations of parity (P) and time-reversal (T) symmetries. This atom has been laser cooled and therefore the measurement of its EDM has the potential of improving on the current best EDM limit for a paramagnetic atom which comes from thallium. We report the results of our calculations of the EDM enhancement factor due to the electron EDM and the ratio of the atomic EDM to the electron-nucleus scalar-pseudoscalar (S-PS) interaction coupling constant in In in the framework of …
We give a derivation for the indirect interaction between two magnetic dipoles induced by the quantized electromagnetic field. It turns out that the interaction between permanent dipoles directly returns to the classical form; the interaction between transition dipoles does not directly return to the classical result, yet returns in the short-distance limit. In a finite volume, the field modes are highly discrete, and both the permanent and transition dipole-dipole interactions are changed. For transition dipoles, the changing mechanism is similar with the Purcell effect, since only a few numb…
Searches for permanent electric-dipole moments (EDM) of atoms provide important constraints on competing extensions to the standard model of elementary particles. Recently proposed experiment with liquid $^{129}$Xe [M.V. Romalis and M.P. Ledbetter, Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{87}, 067601 (2001)] may significantly improve present limits on the EDMs. To interpret experimental data in terms of CP-violating sources, one must relate measured atomic EDM to various model interactions via electronic-structure calculations. Here we study density dependence of atomic EDMs. The analysis is carried out in th…
We report on a new measurement of the CP-violating permanent Electric Dipole Moment (EDM) of the neutral $^{129}$Xe atom. Our experimental approach is based on the detection of the free precession of co-located nuclear spin-polarized $^3$He and $^{129}$Xe samples. The EDM measurement sensitivity benefits strongly from long spin coherence times of several hours achieved in diluted gases and homogeneous weak magnetic fields of about 400~nT. A finite EDM is indicated by a change in the precession frequency, as an electric field is periodically reversed with respect to the magnetic guiding field. …
This paper describes the results of the most recent measurement of the permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of neutral $^{199}$Hg atoms. Fused silica vapor cells containing enriched $^{199}$Hg are arranged in a stack in a common magnetic field. Optical pumping is used to spin-polarize the atoms orthogonal to the applied magnetic field, and the Faraday rotation of near-resonant light is observed to determine an electric-field-induced perturbation to the Larmor precession frequency. Our results for this frequency shift are consistent with zero; we find the corresponding $^{199}$Hg EDM $d_{Hg} …
Quantum mechanics thinks that all atoms do not have permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) because of their spherical symmetry. Therefore, there is no polar atom in nature except for polar molecules. The electric susceptibility Xe caused by the orientation of polar substances is inversely proportional to the absolute temperature T while the induced susceptibility of atoms is temperature independent. Using special capacitors our experiments discovered that directional motion of Rb atoms in a non-uniform electric field and ground state Rb atom is polar atom with a large EDM: d(Rb) =2.72*10-29C.m…
In this work the inhomogeneous (zero-phonon line) and homogeneous line widths, and one projection of the permanent electric dipole moment change for the Ce 4f-5d transition in Y_2SiO_5 were measured in order to investigate the possibility for using Ce as a sensor to detect the hyperfine state of a spatially close-lying Pr or Eu ion. The experiments were carried out on Ce doped or Ce-Pr co-doped single Y_2SiO_5 crystals. The homogeneous line width was measured to be about 3 MHz, which is essentially limited by the excited state lifetime. Based on the line width measurements, the oscillator stre…
We report results of a new technique to measure the electric dipole moment of $^{129}$Xe with $^3$He comagnetometry. Both species are polarized using spin-exchange optical pumping, transferred to a measurement cell, and transported into a magnetically shielded room, where SQUID magnetometers detect free precession in applied electric and magnetic fields. The result from a one week measurement campaign in 2017 and a 2.5 week campaign in 2018, combined with detailed study of systematic effects, is $d_A(^{129}\mathrm{Xe}) = (1.4 \pm 6.6_\mathrm{stat} \pm 2.0_\mathrm{syst})\times10^{-28}~e\,\mathr…
Using special capacitors our experiments discovered that the ground state K, Rb or Cs atom is polar atom with a large permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of the order of eao (ao is Bohr radius) as excited state of hydrogen atom. But we can not calculate the EDM of an atom using Boltzmann constant. The mechanism of polar atoms by which orientation polarization arises completely differs from polar molecules. The orientation polarization of polar molecule, such as HCl or H2O etc, is a molecule as a whole turned toward the direction of an external field. Unlike polar molecules, the orientation …
Quantum mechanics thinks that atoms do not have permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) because of their spherical symmetry. Therefore, there is no polar atom in nature except for polar molecules. The electric susceptibility Xe caused by the orientation of polar substances is inversely proportional to the absolute temperature T while the induced susceptibility of atoms is temperature independent. This difference in temperature dependence offers a means of separating the polar and non-polar substances experimentally. Using special capacitor our experiments discovered that the relationship betwee…
We describe a new technique to measure the EDM of $^{129}$Xe with $^3$He comagnetometry. Both species are polarized using spin-exchange optical pumping, transferred to a measurement cell, and transported into a magnetically shielded room, where SQUID magnetometers detect free precession in applied electric and magnetic fields. The result of a one week run combined with a detailed study of systematic effects is $d_A(^{129}\mathrm{Xe}) = (0.26 \pm 2.33_\mathrm{stat} \pm 0.72_\mathrm{syst})\times10^{-27}~e\,\mathrm{cm}$. This corresponds to an upper limit of $|d_A(^{129}\mathrm{Xe})| < 4.81\times…
The classical theory of electrodynamics is built upon Maxwell's equations and the concepts of electromagnetic field, force, energy and momentum, which are intimately tied together by Poynting's theorem and the Lorentz force law. Whereas Maxwell's macroscopic equations relate the electric and magnetic fields to their material sources (i.e., charge, current, polarization and magnetization), Poynting's theorem governs the flow of electromagnetic energy and its exchange between fields and material media, while the Lorentz law regulates the back-and-forth transfer of momentum between the media and …
Heavy polar diatomic molecules are the leading candidates in searches for the permanent electric dipole moment of the electron (eEDM). Next-generation eEDM search experiments ideally require extremely large coherence times, in large ensembles of trapped molecules that have a high sensitivity to the eEDM. We consider a family of molecules, mercury-alkali diatomics, that can be feasibly produced from ultracold atoms. We present calculations of the effective electric fields experienced by the electron in these molecules. The combination of reasonably large effective electric fields, and a straigh…
Heavy polar diatomic molecules are the primary tools for searching for the T-violating permanent electric dipole moment of the electron (eEDM). Valence electrons in some molecules experience extremely large effective electric fields due to relativistic interactions. These large effective electric fields are crucial to the success of polar-molecule-based eEDM search experiments. Here we report on the results of relativistic ab initio calculations of the effective electric fields in a series of molecules that are highly sensitive to an eEDM, the mercury monohalides (HgF, HgCl, HgBr,and HgI). We …
Permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs) of fundamental particles such as the electron are signatures of parity and time-reversal violation due to physics beyond the standard model. EDM measurements probe new physics at energy scales well beyond the reach of present-day colliders. Recent advances in assembling molecules from ultracold atoms have opened up new opportunities for improving the reach of EDM experiments. But better measurement techniques, that are not limited by the magnetic field sensitivity of such molecules, are necessary before these opportunities can be fully exploited. We pre…
Recent improvements in experimental techniques for preparing ultracold molecules that contain alkali atoms (e.g., Li, Na, and K) have been reported. Based on these advances in ultracold molecules, new searches for the electric dipole moment of the electron and the scalar-pseudoscalar interaction can be proposed on such systems. We calculate the effective electric fields (Eeff) and the S-PS coefficients (Ws) of SrA and HgA (A = Li, Na, and K) molecules at the Dirac-Fock (DF) and the relativistic coupled cluster (RCC) levels. We elaborate on the following points: i) Basis set dependence of the m…
Heavy polar diatomic molecules are currently among the most promising probes of fundamental physics. Constraining the electric dipole moment of the electron (eEDM), in order to explore physics beyond the Standard Model, requires a synergy of molecular experiment and theory. Recent advances in experiment in this field have motivated us to implement a finite field coupled cluster approach (FFCC). This work has distinct advantages over the theoretical methods that we had used earlier in the analysis of eEDM searches. We used the relativistic FFCC to calculate molecular properties of interest to e…
The exceptional precision attainable using modern spectroscopic techniques provides a promising avenue to search for signatures of physics beyond the Standard Model in tiny shifts of the energy levels of atoms and molecules. We briefly review three categories of new-physics searches based in precision measurements: tests of QED using measurements of the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron and the value of the fine-structure constant, searches for time variation of the fundamental constants, and searches for a permanent electric dipole moment of an electron or atomic nucleus.
The parity of atomic wave functions prevents neutral atoms from having permanent electric-dipole moment. Electric-dipole moment is induced in an atom when exposed to strong light, the electric field of the light. Hence the optical trapping of neutral atoms relies on the induced dipole moment. Here we present the calculated numerical values of the detuning, potential depth, minimum laser power required to trap $^{87}$Rb ($D_2$ line) atoms using lasers of wavelength 1064 nm, 850 nm, 820 nm and 800 nm and beam waists 50$μ$m, 100$μ$m and 200$μ$m.
We calculate the potential energy curves, the permanent dipole moment curves, and the lifetimes of the ground and excited vibrational states of the heteronuclear alkali dimers XY (X, Y = Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs) in the X1Σ+ electronic state using the coupled cluster with singles doubles and triples (CCSDT) method. All-electron quadruple-ζ basis sets with additional core functions are used for Li and Na, and small-core relativistic effective core potentials with quadruple-ζ quality basis sets are used for K, Rb and Cs. The inclusion of the coupled cluster non-perturbative triple excitations is shown …
Electric dipole moments of diamagnetic atoms of experimental interest are calculated using the relativistic Hartree-Fock and random-phase approximation methods, the many-body perturbation theory and configuration interaction technique. We consider P,T-odd interactions which give rise to atomic electric dipole moment in the second order of the perturbation theory. These include nuclear Schiff moment, P,T-odd electron-nucleon interaction and electron electric dipole moment. Interpretation of a new experimental constraint of a permanent electric dipole moment of $^{199}$Hg [W. C. Griffith {\it et…
We review current status of the study of parity and time invariance phenomena in atoms, nuclei and molecules. We focus on three most promising areas of research: (i) parity non-conservation in a chain of isotopes, (ii) search for nuclear anapole moments, and (iii) search for permanent electric dipole moments (EDM) of atoms and molecules which are caused by either, electron EDM or nuclear $T,P$-odd moments such as nuclear EDM and nuclear Schiff moment.
We report calculations of Born-Oppenheimer potential energy curves of the chromium-rubidium heteronuclear molecule 52Cr-87Rb, and the long-range dispersion coefficient for the interaction between ground state Cr and Rb atoms. Our calculated van der Waals coefficient (C6=1770 a.u.) has an expected error of 3%. The ground state 6Sigma+ molecule at its equilibrium separation has a permanent electric dipole moment of de (Re=3.34 A) = 2.90 D. We investigate the hyperfine and dipolar collisions between trapped Cr and Rb atoms, finding elastic to inelastic cross section ratio of 100-1000.
Doppler and Sisyphus cooling of $^{174}$YbOH are achieved and studied. This polyatomic molecule has high sensitivity to physics beyond the Standard Model and represents a new class of species for future high-precision probes of new T-violating physics. The transverse temperature of the YbOH beam is reduced by nearly two orders of magnitude to $< 600 \, μ$K and the phase-space density is increased by a factor of $>6$ via Sisyphus cooling. We develop a full numerical model of the laser cooling of YbOH and find excellent agreement with the data. We project that laser cooling and magneto-optical t…
Rydberg-atom ensembles are switched from a weakly- into a strongly-interacting regime via adiabatic transformation of the atoms from an approximately non-polar into a highly dipolar quantum state. The resultant electric dipole-dipole forces are probed using a device akin to a field ion microscope. Ion imaging and pair-correlation analysis reveal the kinetics of the interacting atoms. Dumbbell-shaped pair correlation images demonstrate the anisotropy of the binary dipolar force. The dipolar $C_3$ coefficient, derived from the time dependence of the images, agrees with the value calculated from …
Postulating the existence of a fnite-mass mediator of T,P-odd coupling between atomic electrons and nucleons we consider its effect on permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of diamagnetic atoms. We present both numerical and analytical analysis for such mediator-induced EDMs and compare it with EDM results for the conventional contact interaction. Based on this analysis we derive limits on coupling strengths and carrier masses from experimental limits on EDM of 199Hg atom.
Trapped diatomic molecular ions could prove to be a sensitive probe for a permanent electron electric dipole moment (eEDM). We propose to use a ground or metastable $^3Δ_1$ level, due to its high polarizability and large EDM enhancement factor. Ions allow for simple trapping and long interrogation times, but require a time-varying electric bias field in order to probe the eEDM. We discuss experimental design as well as challenges in performing a precision spectroscopic measurement in rapidly time-varying electric fields.
The electric dipole moment of the electron (eEDM) and the Scalar-PseudoScalar (S-PS) interaction are probes of new physics beyond the standard model of elementary particles, but experiments to observe them using atoms and molecules are still in progress. Molecules that have a large effective electric field (Eeff), S-PS coefficient (Ws), and permanent electric dipole moment (PDM) are in principle favorable candidates for such experiments, and hence, it is necessary to analyze these properties. In this work, we calculate Eeff, Ws, and PDM for Ra systems; RaF, RaX (X = Cl, Br, I, and At) and RaY …
We study the quantum properties of Rydberg atoms in a magnetic Ioffe-Pritchard trap which is superimposed by a homogeneous electric field. Trapped Rydberg atoms can be created in long-lived electronic states exhibiting a permanent electric dipole moment of several hundred Debye. The resulting dipole-dipole interaction in conjunction with the radial confinement is demonstrated to give rise to an effectively one-dimensional ultracold Rydberg gas with a macroscopic interparticle distance. We derive analytical expressions for the electric dipole moment and the critical linear density of Rydberg at…
Microscopic study of low-lying states in odd-mass nuclei for atomic electric dipole moment searches
School of Physics and Astronomy, Sun Yat-sen University（中山大学物理学院）；Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Metrology and Sensing, Sun Yat-Sen University（中山大学广东省量子计量与传感重点实验室）
We discuss an experiment underway at Imperial College London to measure the permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of the electron using a molecular beam of YbF. We describe the measurement method, which uses a combination of laser and radiofrequency resonance techniques to detect the spin precession of the YbF molecule in a strong electric field. We pay particular attention to the analysis scheme and explore some of the possible systematic effects which might mimic the EDM signal. Finally, we describe technical improvements which should increase the sensitivity by more than an order of magnit…
In this article, we have employed relativistic many-body theory to theoretically assess the suitability of TlF+ molecular ion in its ground state for electron electric dipole moment searches. To that end, we have computed values of the effective electric field as well as the molecular permanent electric dipole moment using both configuration interaction and coupled cluster methods with high quality basis sets, followed by an analysis on the role of electron correlation in the considered properties. We find that TlF+ has a large value of effective electric field of about 163 GV/cm, which is abo…
A new potential energy surface for the electronic ground state of the simplest triatomic anion H3- is determined for a large number of geometries. Its accuracy is improved at short and large distances compared to previous studies. The permanent dipole moment surface of the state is also computed for the first time. Nine vibrational levels of H3- and fourteen levels of D3- are obtained, bound by at most ~70 cm^{-1} and ~ 126 cm^{-1} respectively. These results should guide the spectroscopic search of the H3- ion in cold gases (below 100K) of molecular hydrogen in the presence of H3- ions.
We present models for a heteronuclear diatomic molecular ion in a linear Paul trap in a rigid-rotor approximation, one purely classical, the other where the center-of-mass motion is treated classically while rotational motion is quantized. We study the rotational dynamics and their influence on the motion of the center-of-mass, in the presence of the coupling between the permanent dipole moment of the ion and the trapping electric field. We show that the presence of the permanent dipole moment affects the trajectory of the ion, and that it departs from the Mathieu equation solution found for a…
We review the current status of the study of parity and time invariance violation in atoms, nuclei and molecules. We focus on parity non-conservation in cesium and three of the most promising areas of research: (i) parity non-conservation in a chain of isotopes, (ii) search for nuclear anapole moments, and (iii) search for permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs) of atoms and molecules, which in turn are caused by either an electron EDM or nuclear $T,P$-odd moments such as a nuclear EDM or nuclear Schiff moment.
Heteronuclear alkali-metal dimers represent the class of molecules of choice for creating samples of ultracold molecules exhibiting an intrinsic large permanent electric dipole moment. Among them, the KCs molecule, with a permanent dipole moment of 1.92~Debye still remains to be observed in ultracold conditions. Based on spectroscopic studies available in the literature completed by accurate quantum chemistry calculations, we propose several optical coherent schemes to create ultracold bosonic and fermionic KCs molecules in their absolute rovibrational ground level, starting from a weakly boun…
It is a general point of view that in the absence of an external field, the nucleus of an atom is at the center of the electron cloud, so that all kinds of atoms do not have permanent electric dipole moment (EDM). In the fact, the idea is untested. Using two special capacitors containing Potassium vapor we discovered that the electric susceptibility Xe of K atoms is directly proportional to the density N, and inversely to the temperature T, as polar molecules. The experimental K material with purity 0.9995 is supplied by Strem Chemicals Co. USA. We have distinguished between permanent and indu…
We demonstrate a spin-precession method to observe and analyze multi-level coherence between all hyperfine levels in the $X ^2Σ^+,N=0$ ground state of barium monofluoride ($^{138}$Ba$^{19}$F). The signal is sensitive to the state-preparation Rabi frequency and external electric and magnetic fields applied in searches for a permanent electric dipole moment (EDM). In the obtained interference spectrum, the electric field and Rabi frequency become observable simultaneously with the EDM. This method reduces systematic biases and the number of auxiliary measurements for such precision measurements.
The radioactive radium-225 ($^{225}$Ra) atom is a favorable case to search for a permanent electric dipole moment (EDM). Due to its strong nuclear octupole deformation and large atomic mass, $^{225}$Ra is particularly sensitive to interactions in the nuclear medium that violate both time-reversal symmetry and parity. We have developed a cold-atom technique to study the spin precession of $^{225}$Ra atoms held in an optical dipole trap, and demonstrated the principle of this method by completing the first measurement of its atomic EDM, reaching an upper limit of $|$$d$($^{225}$Ra)$|$ $<$ $5.0\!…
Ultracold YbAg molecules have been recently proposed as promising candidates for electron electric dipole moment searches [Verma, Jayich, and Vutha, Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 153201 (2020)]. Here, we calculate potential energy curves, permanent electric dipole and quadrupole moments, and static electric dipole polarizabilities for the YbCu, YbAg, and YbAu molecules in their ground electronic states. We use the coupled cluster method restricted to single, double, and noniterative triple excitations with large Gaussian basis sets, while the scalar relativistic effects are included within the small-c…
Precision spectroscopy of trapped HfF^+ will be used in a search for the permanent electric dipole moment of the electron (eEDM). While this dipole moment has yet to be observed, various extensions to the standard model of particle physics (such as supersymmetry) predict values that are close to the current limit. We present extensive survey spectroscopy of 19 bands covering nearly 5000 cm^(-1) using both frequency-comb and single-frequency laser velocity-modulation spectroscopy. We obtain high-precision rovibrational constants for eight electronic states including those that will be necessary…
A number of extensions to the Standard Model of particle physics predict a permanent electric dipole moment of the electron (eEDM) in the range of the current experimental limits. Trapped ThF$^+$ will be used in a forthcoming generation of the JILA eEDM experiment. Here, we present extensive survey spectroscopy of ThF$^+$ in the 700 - 1000 nm spectral region, with the 700 - 900 nm range fully covered using frequency comb velocity modulation spectroscopy. We have determined that the ThF$^+$ electronic ground state is $X$ $^3Δ_1$, which is the eEDM-sensitive state. In addition, we report high-pr…
We report on a laser based $^{199}$Hg co-magnetometer deployed in an experiment searching for a permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron. We demonstrate a more than five times increased signal to-noise-ratio in a direct comparison measurement with its $^{204}$Hg discharge bulb-based predecessor. An improved data model for the extraction of important system parameters such as the degrees of absorption and polarization is derived. Laser- and lamp-based data-sets can be consistently described by the improved model which permits to compare measurements using the two different light sources …
We theoretically investigate the properties of highly polar diatomic molecules containing $^2S$-state transition-metal atoms. We calculate potential energy curves, permanent electric dipole moments, spectroscopic constants, and leading long-range dispersion-interaction coefficients for molecules consisting of either a Cu or Ag atom interacting with an alkali-metal (Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr) or alkaline-earth-metal (Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra) atom. We use ab initio electronic structure methods, such as the coupled cluster and configuration interaction ones, with large Gaussian basis sets and small-co…
