Laue Diffraction Method of a Neutron EDM Search. Experimental Test of the Method

---

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

New method of a search for a neutron electric dipole moment (EDM) using Laue diffraction in the noncentrosymmetric crystal is proposed. The method is based on the effect of depolarization of the diffracted neutron beams (direct and reflected) passed through such crystal and on the essential increasing the neutron passage time through the crystal for the Bragg angles Θ_B close to 90^o. Description of the effect and set-up is given. It is shown experimentally that for α-quartz crystal and Θ_B=87^o the value of Eτ determining the sensitivity of the method can be ≈ 2 · 10⁵ V s/cm, what is comparable with the magnetic resonance method using ultracold neutrons (UCN-method). Taking into account the luminosity of the proposed method, the value of its sensitivity may reach ≈ 10^-25 e · cm per day for really existing α-quartz crystal.

Preprint PNPI-2451, Gatchina, 2001, 26 p.