Physics & Astronomy David DeMille - Yale University

"Tabletop-Scale Probes for TeV Physics"

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is seeking to observe as-yet undetected, very massive particles. Their strategy involves colliding protons at unprecedentedly high energies, in order to directly create new particles according to E = mc^2. I will describe experiments using an alternate but powerful strategy to detect new particles. In quantum field theories, all ordinary particles are continuously emitting, and then quickly reabsorbing, every type of other particle that exists in nature; this “cloud” of “virtual particles” can modify the apparent properties of ordinary matter. We are searching for an asymmetric charge distribution of this cloud—an electric dipole moment—along the spin axis of an electron or a proton, which can be induced by the existence of certain types of new particles. Although our experiments can fit in a single room, they are sensitive to masses of 3 TeV or even higher, exceeding the direct reach of the LHC. This talk will explain the concepts and techniques of our experiments, including a new effort inspired by Prof. Hunter’s recent work at Amherst.