Description:

Title: Electric Dipole Moment searches and small magnetic fields

Speaker: Peter Fierlinger, Technical University Munich

Abstract: Since several decades people search for an electric dipole moment (EDM) of a fundamental system, an unambiguous manifestation of parity (P) and time reversal symmetry (T) violation. Assuming the conservation of CPT, T violation in a fundamental system also means CP violation. This has only been observed in very few systems in the Standard Model of particle physics (SM) as a tiny effect. However, it would be needed in much larger quantities to help explain the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe. With a long history of innovation and persistence, the neutron EDM dn is now limited to below 3·10^−26 e·cm, an extraordinarily small number, corresponding to an energy resolution of 10^-22 eV. The effort to develop a next generation of the neutron EDM searches triggered a variety of technologic advances. A particularly critical aspect is the quality of ultra-low magnetic fields, which has been notably advanced over the last years. In my talk I will present the PanEDM experiment at ILL Grenoble and its perspectives, and then focus on developments related to small and stable magnetic fields and their applications emerging in fundamental physics, like dark matter searches, particle interferometry, but also medical imaging and industrial applications.