Session KP01 - Poster Session III.
POSTER session, Tuesday afternoon, March 23
Exhibit Hall, GWCC
We are investigating the use of a magneto-optical trap (MOT) and optical dipole trap to search for a CP-violating permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) by nuclear spin resonance in Yb atoms.
Optical cooling and trapping of Yb atoms offers many advantages for an atomic EDM experiment, including long spin-relaxation lifetimes and a zero average motional magnetic field \vecv\times\vecE.
We have designed and built a new ultra-high vacuum apparatus for our atomic beam and MOT, including differential pumping and a Zeeman slower. We have slowed the Yb atomic beam with about 10% efficiency, using the ^1S_0 \rightarrow ^1\!\!P_1 (398.9 nm) transition.
We are currently improving the efficiency of our Zeeman slower, in order to effectively load the atoms into a MOT. We are also exploring the possibility of measuring the branching ratio of the decay from the ^1\!P_1 state into the D-states, ^3\!D_2 and ^3\!D_1. We will report the results of these experiments.
Further information can be found at \verb"http://www.phys.washington.edu/\~reinam/". This work is supported by NSF Grant PHY-9732513.