Application of electric fields to alkene-coated cesium vapor cells

ORAL

Abstract

Recently, a new alkene-based antirelaxation coating has been discovered [Balabas et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 070801 (2010)] which enables spin-polarized alkali atoms to bounce off vapor cell walls more than a million times before the spin polarization relaxes, yielding electron spin relaxation times on the order of a minute. This remarkable new technology may open the possibility of conducting a new search for the parity- and time-reversal violating permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of the electron using a cesium vapor contained in an alkene-coated cell. Previous antirelaxation coatings have demonstrated dramatic vapor density variations upon application and reversal of the large electric fields required for an EDM experiment [Jackson Kimball et al., Phys. Rev. A 79, 032901 (2009)]. We have found that in the new alkene-coated cells these electric-field-induced vapor density variations can be mitigated for particular choices of cell and alkali metal reservoir temperatures. Future work will involve demonstrating the long spin-relaxation times during application and reversal of electric fields and direct measurement of the electric field using the Stark shift of excited states in Cs.

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Authors

  • Brandon Langdon

    Cal State Univ East Bay

  • Sergey Savrasov

    Hartnell College, Cal State Univ- Long Beach, University of California, Davis, School of Natural Science, University of California, Merced, Seagate Technology, Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, University of California - Berkeley, University of Colorado, Boulder -- Dept of Physics, University of California, Berkeley -- Dept of Chemistry, UC Merced, California State University, Fresno, California Institute of Technology, California State University, Long Beach, La Canada Flintridge, CA, Department of Physics, Florida A\&M University, Tallahassee, FL-32307, Physical and Life Sciences, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA-94550, Cal State Univ East Bay, American River College, UC Santa Cruz, Notre Dame High School, Benedict College, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Tuskegee University, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Sonoma State University, Carnegie Observatories, University of California, Los Angeles, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Alabama, MPIfR, Bonn, Germany, Stanford University, University of California - Davis

  • Sergey Savrasov

    Hartnell College, Cal State Univ- Long Beach, University of California, Davis, School of Natural Science, University of California, Merced, Seagate Technology, Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, University of California - Berkeley, University of Colorado, Boulder -- Dept of Physics, University of California, Berkeley -- Dept of Chemistry, UC Merced, California State University, Fresno, California Institute of Technology, California State University, Long Beach, La Canada Flintridge, CA, Department of Physics, Florida A\&M University, Tallahassee, FL-32307, Physical and Life Sciences, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA-94550, Cal State Univ East Bay, American River College, UC Santa Cruz, Notre Dame High School, Benedict College, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Tuskegee University, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Sonoma State University, Carnegie Observatories, University of California, Los Angeles, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Alabama, MPIfR, Bonn, Germany, Stanford University, University of California - Davis

  • Sergey Savrasov

    Hartnell College, Cal State Univ- Long Beach, University of California, Davis, School of Natural Science, University of California, Merced, Seagate Technology, Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, University of California - Berkeley, University of Colorado, Boulder -- Dept of Physics, University of California, Berkeley -- Dept of Chemistry, UC Merced, California State University, Fresno, California Institute of Technology, California State University, Long Beach, La Canada Flintridge, CA, Department of Physics, Florida A\&M University, Tallahassee, FL-32307, Physical and Life Sciences, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA-94550, Cal State Univ East Bay, American River College, UC Santa Cruz, Notre Dame High School, Benedict College, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Tuskegee University, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Sonoma State University, Carnegie Observatories, University of California, Los Angeles, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Alabama, MPIfR, Bonn, Germany, Stanford University, University of California - Davis

  • Sergey Savrasov

    Hartnell College, Cal State Univ- Long Beach, University of California, Davis, School of Natural Science, University of California, Merced, Seagate Technology, Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, University of California - Berkeley, University of Colorado, Boulder -- Dept of Physics, University of California, Berkeley -- Dept of Chemistry, UC Merced, California State University, Fresno, California Institute of Technology, California State University, Long Beach, La Canada Flintridge, CA, Department of Physics, Florida A\&M University, Tallahassee, FL-32307, Physical and Life Sciences, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA-94550, Cal State Univ East Bay, American River College, UC Santa Cruz, Notre Dame High School, Benedict College, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Tuskegee University, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Sonoma State University, Carnegie Observatories, University of California, Los Angeles, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Alabama, MPIfR, Bonn, Germany, Stanford University, University of California - Davis