Samuel Henry

Abstract:

We have constructed an instrument, CryoEDM, to measure the neutron electric dipole moment to a precision of 10−28 e cm at the Institut Laue-Langevin. The main characteristic is that it is operating entirely in a cryogenic environment, at temperatures of 0.7 K within superfluid helium. Ultracold neutrons are produced in a superthermal source and stored within the superfluid in a storage cell which is held in a magnetic and electric field. NMR measurements are carried out to look for any shifts in the neutron Larmor precession frequency associated with the electric field and the neutrons are detected in-situ in the superfluid. Low temperature SQUID magnetometry is used to monitor the magnetic field. We report on the current status of the project that is now being commissioned and give an outlook on the future exploitation of the instrument.

Abstract:

The cryoEDM experiment at the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble will measure the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the neutron with unparalleled precision. A neutron EDM arises due to CP violation. The cryoEDM experiment is sensitive to levels of CP violation predicted by many “beyond the standard model” theories and the result will therefore constrain or support these theories. The current limit to the neutron EDM stands at d_n<2.9x 10^-26 e cm as measured with a room temperature experiment. By operating in superfluid helium below 0.9 K and collecting high densities of ultra cold neutrons, the cryoEDM experiment will improve on the existing limit or measure an EDM. High precision magnetometry is essential to reduce the systematic errors in the cryoEDM experiment originating from changes in the magnetic environment. We present the cryoEDM apparatus and technologies.

Abstract:

SQUIDs can be used to monitor the three vector components of the geomagnetic field to a high precision at very low frequencies, yet as they are susceptible to external interference, the accuracy to which they can track changes in the dc field over long periods has been unclear. We have carried out simultaneous measurements of the geomagnetic field recorded using two independent 3-axis SQUID magnetometers at the Laboratoire Souterrain à Bas Bruit (LSBB). We demonstrate a technique to take the difference between a linear transform of the three signals from one magnetometer, and a reference signal from the other, in order to account for any difference in alignment and calibration, and track local signals at a sub-nT level. We confirmed that both systems tracked the same signal with an RMS difference as low as 56pT over a period of 72 h. To our knowledge this is the first such demonstration of the long term accuracy of SQUID magnetometers for monitoring geomagnetic fields.