Parity and Time Reversal Tests in Atoms

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

The main thrust of this project is to continue recent advances in atomic experiments designed to find and measure violations of parity and time-reversal symmetries. A major effort is the search for a permanent atomic electric dipole moment (EDM), which can exist only if time-reversal symmetry is violated. This will be done with a mercury EDM experiment, which has reached such a level of sensitivity that it is now possible to make an exacting test of low energy supersymmetry and other models in which T-violation would occur naturally. At the same time, an experiment with optically cooled and trapped diamagnetic atoms, chiefly ytterbium and radium, will be used to explore a possible new realm of EDM sensitivity. Other related efforts include parity nonconservation (PNC) experiments in thallium and the development of a new PNC experiment with a singly ionized barium ion.