Tufts/CfA/MIT Cosmology Seminar, at MIT:

Tuesday, April 26, 2005
2:30 pm
Center for Theoretical Physics Seminar Room
Building 6, Third Floor
Refreshments at 2:00, same location

"The Eot-Wash Axion Search"


Seth Hoedl
University of Washington

Abstract:

In the nearly 25 years since it was first proposed, the axion remains the preferred solution to the strong CP problem and a promising dark matter candidate. Although the mass of the axion is now limited to be greater than 1 $\mu$~eV by the known flat geometry of the universe and less than 1000 $\mu$~eV by the neutrino flux from SN1987A, between these limits the existence of the axion is unconstrained. The Eot-Wash group at the University of Washington has embarked on a new experiment to look for a macroscopic parity and time violating force mediated by virtual axions with a mass in the neighborhood of 200 $\mu$~eV. By using the torsion pendulum technique, (and assuming that magnetic systematic errors can be mitigated), we hope to be able to improve on the present limits of such a force by nearly 18 orders of magnitude.

Return to Joint Cosmology Seminar home page.