$P$- and $T$-odd two-nucleon interaction and the deuteron electric dipole moment

Abstract

The nuclear physics relevant to the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the deuteron is addressed. The general operator structure of the $P$- and $T$-odd nucleon-nucleon interaction is discussed and applied to the two-body contributions of the deuteron EDM, which can be calculated in terms of $P$- and $T$-odd meson-nucleon coupling constants with only small model dependence. The one-body contributions, the EDMs of the proton and the neutron, are evaluated within the same framework. Although the total theoretical uncertainties are sizable, we conclude that, compared to the neutron, the deuteron EDM is competitive in terms of sensitivity to $C P$ violation, and complementary with respect to the microscopic sources of $C P$ violation that can be probed.