An improved bound on the electron's electric dipole moment.

The imbalance of matter and antimatter in our Universe provides compelling motivation to search for undiscovered particles that violate charge-parity symmetry. Interactions with vacuum fluctuations of the fields associated with these new particles will induce an electric dipole moment of the electron (eEDM). We present the most precise measurement yet of the eEDM using electrons confined inside molecular ions, subjected to a huge intramolecular electric field, and evolving coherently for up to 3 seconds. Our result is consistent with zero and improves on the previous best upper bound by a factor of ~2.4. Our results provide constraints on broad classes of new physics above [Formula: see text] electron volts, beyond the direct reach of the current particle colliders or those likely to be available in the coming decades.

Experimental Constraint on Axionlike Particles over Seven Orders of Magnitude in Mass.

We use our recent electric dipole moment (EDM) measurement data to constrain the possibility that the HfF^{+} EDM oscillates in time due to interactions with candidate dark matter axionlike particles (ALPs). We employ a Bayesian analysis method which accounts for both the look-elsewhere effect and the uncertainties associated with stochastic density fluctuations in the ALP field. We find no evidence of an oscillating EDM over a range spanning from 27 nHz to 400 mHz, and we use this result to constrain the ALP-gluon coupling over the mass range 10^{-22}-10^{-15} eV. This is the first laboratory constraint on the ALP-gluon coupling in the 10^{-17}-10^{-15} eV range, and the first laboratory constraint to properly account for the stochastic nature of the ALP field.

Second-Scale Coherence Measured at the Quantum Projection Noise Limit with Hundreds of Molecular Ions.

Cold molecules provide an excellent platform for quantum information, cold chemistry, and precision measurement. Certain molecules have enhanced sensitivity to beyond standard model physics, such as the electron's electric dipole moment (eEDM). Molecular ions are easily trappable and are therefore particularly attractive for precision measurements where sensitivity scales with interrogation time. Here, we demonstrate a spin precession measurement with second-scale coherence at the quantum projection noise (QPN) limit with hundreds of trapped molecular ions, chosen for their sensitivity to the eEDM rather than their amenability to state control and readout. Orientation-resolved resonant photodissociation allows us to simultaneously measure two quantum states with opposite eEDM sensitivity, reaching the QPN limit and fully exploiting the high count rate and long coherence.

Precision Measurement of the Electron's Electric Dipole Moment Using Trapped Molecular Ions.

We describe the first precision measurement of the electron's electric dipole moment (d_{e}) using trapped molecular ions, demonstrating the application of spin interrogation times over 700 ms to achieve high sensitivity and stringent rejection of systematic errors. Through electron spin resonance spectroscopy on ^{180}Hf^{19}F^{+} in its metastable ^{3}Δ_{1} electronic state, we obtain d_{e}=(0.9±7.7_{stat}±1.7_{syst})×10^{-29} e cm, resulting in an upper bound of |d_{e}|<1.3×10^{-28} e cm (90% confidence). Our result provides independent confirmation of the current upper bound of |d_{e}|<9.4×10^{-29} e cm [J. Baron et al., New J. Phys. 19, 073029 (2017)NJOPFM1367-263010.1088/1367-2630/aa708e], and offers the potential to improve on this limit in the near future.