Neutron Diffraction and Optics of a Noncentrosymmetric Crystal. New Feasibility of a Search for Neutron EDM

Abstract

Recently strong electric fields (up to 10^9 V/cm) have been discovered, which affect the neutrons moving in noncentrosymmetric crystals. Such fields allow new polarization phenomena in neutron diffraction and optics and provide, for instance, a new feasibility of a search for the neutron electric dipole moment (EDM). A series of experiments was carried out in a few last years on study of the dynamical diffraction of polarized neutrons in thick (1-10 cm) quartz crystals, using the forward diffraction beam and Bragg angles close to 90^0. As well new neutron optics phenomena were investigated. The feasibility of experiment on a search for neutron EDM using Laue diffraction in crystals without a center of symmetry was tested at the reactors: WWR-M in Gatchina and HFR in Grenoble. It was shown that the sensitivity can reach (3 - 6)\cdot 10^{-25}e cm per day for the available quartz crystal and cold neutron beam flux.