Status report on the UCN/nEDM project at TRIUMF

17 Oct 2016, 12:00
20m
Oral Searches for permanent electric dipole moments Mo - 2

Speaker

Dr Beatrice Franke (TRIUMF, Vancouver, Canada)

Description

A permanent non-zero electric dipole moment (nEDM) violates CP-symmetry. Beyond Standard Model theories predict nEDMs very close to the current upper limit of 3x10^(-26)ecm. Those predictions result from CP-violating processes, which in turn can be related to the matter-antimatter asymmetry observed in our universe. Thus the search for an nEDM contributes to understanding the Baryon asymmetry, as well as it has a high discovery potential for Beyond Standard Model physics. The tool of choice to investigate the nEDM are ultracold neutrons (UCN), since they have such low energies that they can be stored in traps and allow observation times of hundreds of seconds. The goal of the UCN project at TRIUMF is to determine the nEDM to the 10^(-27)ecm level of precision. The distinct feature of TRIUMFs UCN facility is the combination of a neutron spallation source with a superfluid helium UCN converter - unique among all existing and planned UCN sources worldwide. This presentation shall give an update on the current status of the UCN facility at TRIUMF and progress towards the design of a next-generation nEDM apparatus.

Primary author

Dr Beatrice Franke (TRIUMF, Vancouver, Canada)

Presentation materials