A precision measurement of the (129)Xe electric dipole moment using dual noble gas masers.

This dissertation describes a measurement of the permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) in 129Xe. An EDM violates both parity and time reversal, and so its size sets limits on the CP-violating parameters of the Standard Model and its extensions. Two species of noble gas Zeeman masers were employed to achieve this precision. Zeeman masers are tools that permit very long running times and the advantages of in situ magnetometry. The Bloch equations that model the maser behavior are derived, and their solution predicts the maser polarizations for different system settings. Details of the construction of the apparatus (particularly the EDM cells employed) are provided. Over a six month period the experiment achieved a statistical sensitivity of 2.84 x 10-27 e cm but was limited by a systematic effect whose origin is unknown. Various approaches for identifying and eliminating this systematic are discussed.Ph.D.Atomic physicsPure SciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/132459/2/9963883.pd