Project description
Electric dipole moment could explain the matter–antimatter asymmetry in the universe
An electric dipole moment is created when positive and negative electrical charges are spatially separated. It is a measure of the overall polarity of a system, but when it comes to electrons, things get complicated because these particles do not have spatial dimensions. The Standard Model of particle physics predicts that an electron dipole moment is non-zero but very small. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the UltracoldEDM project plans to measure the electron electric dipole moment using ultracold molecular beams. Applying polarisation gradient cooling, the project will improve the precision of previous measurements that leveraged warm molecules by 10 to 100 times. Project results will aid in the search for new particles that account for the matter–antimatter asymmetry.
Objective
New fundamental particles at high energy scales that have not been reached by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) could explain the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry that cannot be understood by the Standard Model of particle physics. These hypothetical particles, if they exist, will introduce a tiny electric dipole moment on the electron (eEDM), which can be probed by extremely sensitive measurement of the electron spin precession in a huge intra-molecular electric field. Previous eEDM measurements using relatively warm molecules are all consistent with zero and are mainly limited by spin coherence and interogation time. Here we propose to measure the eEDM using ultracold molecular beams. We will apply polarization gradient cooling in the two transverse directions to reduce the temperature to below 50 microkelvin. This will significantly increase the number of molecules that can be detected in the forward direction and improve the coherence. We will also develop a new deceleration technique for molecules, called Zeeman-Sisyphus deceleration, to reduce the forward velocity of the molecules to below 30 m/s that allows around 0.1 s interogation time, 100 times longer than the longest in the current beam experiments, in the measurement apparatus. Together with other improvements on molecule production, initial state preparation, magnetic field shielding and control, and spin state detection, we expect that the eEDM can be measured at least 10 or 100 times more precisely than the state-of-the-art level. This will be a search for new particles responsible for matter-antimatter asymmetry and a test of new physics beyond the Standard Model up to a few 100 TeV. This energy range extends far beyond the kinematic reach of any existing and near-future particle colliders and lies around the favoured mass range of many supersymmetric models.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
SW7 2AZ London
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.