Helmholtz: The fourth property of electrons

[bystander]

Researchers seeking the fourth property of electrons
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres | via EurekAlert | 20 July 2010

Electric dipole moment would explain the creation of the universe in the form that we know it

Electrons are negatively charged elementary particles. They form the shells around atoms and ions. This or something similar is what you will find in text books. Soon, however, this information may have to be supplemented. The reason is that many physicists believe that electrons have a permanent electric dipole moment. An electric dipole moment is usually created when positive and negative charges are spatially separated. Similar to the north and south poles of a magnet, there are two electric poles. In the case of electrons, the situation is much more complicated because electrons should not actually have any spatial dimension. Despite this, an entire range of physical theories that go beyond the standard model of elementary particle physics are based upon the existence of dipole moment. These theories in turn would explain how the universe in the form that we know it could have been created in the first place. According to prevailing theories, the big bang some 13.7 billion years ago would have had to have created just as much matter as antimatter. Since both obliterate each other, nothing would have remained. In reality, however, more matter than antimatter was actually created. An electric dipole moment of the electron could explain this imbalance.

A multiferroic material to search for the permanent electric dipole moment of the electron

• Nature Materiels | doi: 10.1038/nmat2799

[neufer]

It would be next to impossible to measure a permanent electric dipole moment of a charged particle like an electron.
Searching for a permanent electric dipole moment of a neutron is difficult enough:

Measured upper limits of the neutron EDM. Given are also the predictions stemming from Supersymmetry and the Standard Model

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<<A permanent electric dipole moment of a fundamental particle violates both parity (P) and time reversal symmetry (T). This is quickly comprehensible by looking at the neutron with its magnetic dipole moment and hypothetical electric dipole moment. Under time reversal, the magnetic dipole moment changes its direction, whereas the electric dipole moment stays unchanged. Under parity, the electric dipole moment changes its direction but not the magnetic dipole moment. As the resulting system under P and T is not symmetric with respect to the initial system, these symmetries are violated in the case of the existence of an EDM. Having also CPT symmetry, the combined symmetry CP is violated as well.>>

[bystander]

Evidently they plan to try indirectly by observing the magnetism of a special ceramic.

[neufer]

Evidently they plan to try indirectly by observing the magnetism of a special ceramic.

Oh, THAT sounds real promising