Search for macroscopic CP violating forces using a neutron EDM spectrometer

Understand

The search for CP violating forces between nucleons in the so-called axion window of force ranges lam between 2x10^-5 m and 0.02 m is interesting because only little experimental information is available there.

• Axion-like particles would induce a pseudo-magnetic field for neutrons close to bulk matter.
• A laboratory search investigates neutron spin precession close to a heavy mirror using ultracold neutrons in a magnetic resonance spectrometer.
• From the absence of a shift of the magnetic resonance we established new constraints on the coupling strength of axion-like particles in terms of the product gs x gp of scalar and pseudo-scalar dimensionless constants, as a function of the force range lam, gs x gp x lam^2 <= 2x10-21 [cm^2] (C.L.95%) for 10^-4 cm < lam < 1 cm.