Set-up for searching a neutron EDM by the crystal-diffraction method: first measurements

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V.V. Fedorov, E.G. Lapin, S.Yu. Semenikhin and V.V. Voronin

The first experimental study of the new effects predicted earlier was conducted, using the recently created set-up designed for searching a neutron EDM by the crystal-diffraction technique. The effect of a considerable delay of the diffracting neutron in the crystal for Bragg angles close to 90⁰ and the effect of a depolarization of diffracting neutrons in the crystal without a centre of symmetry were first observed. The existence of the dynamical diffraction in a thick (14 x 14 x 3.5 cm³) noncentrosymmetric α-quartz crystal for Bragg angles up to 87⁰ was demonstrated. It is experimentally shown that the value Eτ, where E is an electric field and τ is the interaction time, determined the sensitivity of the method to neutron EDM in our case can be ~0.2 · 10⁶ V s/cm, what is comparable with the Ultracold neutrons (UCN) method.

Physica B, 2001, 297 (1-4), 293-298.

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