Conveners
M2-2 Fundamental Symmetries (DNP) | Symétries fondamentales (DPN)
- Blair Jamieson (University of Winnipeg)
Measurements of parity violation effects in atomic systems test the Standard Model at low energies and probe nucleon-nucleon interaction. Francium is a good system for atomic parity violation (APV) studies, because APV effects are predicted to be large in francium and its atomic structure is favourable for theoretical calculations. We are developing experiments to study APV effects in neutral...
Dark Matter, neutrino masses, and the excess of matter over antimatter in the universe, are examples of gaps in our understanding of physics. An electric dipole moment (EDM) of the electron, either large or unobservably small, will be a feature of successful theories of these phenomena, and of other extensions of the Standard Model.
Our Electron EDM Collaboration is developing an experiment...
Reactor neutrino oscillation experiments observe two anomalies in anti-neutrino energy spectra: a total deficit of events, and an event excess in the 5-7 MeV range compared to theory. A total deficit in anti-neutrino flux may support a non-SM sterile neutrino, but both discrepancies may result from inadequate understanding of the reactor fuel cycle. In the 5-7 MeV range first-forbidden...
Francium is an ideal candidate for atomic parity nonconservation (APNC) measurements, since APNC effects scale roughly with a $Z^3$ dependence. Knowledge of francium's atomic structure is key to interpreting APNC measurements, and can be studied through properties such as the Stark shift of the $7s\rightarrow8s$ transition. In our experiment we use magneto-optical traps to suspend francium...
The TRIUMF UltraCold Advanced Neutron (TUCAN) collaboration is currently engaged in building a next generation ultracold neutron (UCN) source, with a neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) measurement as its flagship experiment. A permanent EDM is a violation of CP-symmetry, and thus the nEDM is relevant in standard model extensions and the baryon asymmetry problem. The nEDM measurement is...