Sensitivity Reach of the Neutron EDM Experiment: The Electric Field Strength

The search for an electric dipole moment of the neutron tests physics beyond the Standard Model such as new sources of CP-violation and Supersymmetry. The nEDM experiment aims to improve the sensitivity on the current limit of the electric dipole moment of the neutron to <10(-27) e.cm. The experiment will use a flux of Ultra Cold Neutrons (UCNs) produced and stored in a bath of superfluid He-II. A change in precession frequency is expected for a non-zero EDM when an electric field is applied parallel and antiparallel to a magnetic field across the neutron storage cell. A dominant parameter in terms of reducing the statistical uncertainty of this measurement is the strength of the applied electric field. An experiment to measure if superfluid He-II can sustain up to 50 kV/cm for a volume and electrode spacings comparable to the nEDM experiment has been constructed at Los Alamos National Laboratory. It consists in a large-area parallel plate capacitor immersed in a 200 liter central volume inside a suitable cryostat that in turn is connected to a dilution refrigerator unit. A description of test runs and the status of the experiment is presented.