Abstract: Paul Hess '08

Many theories that patch holes in the Standard Model of particle physics, such as Supersymmetry, also happen to predict that the electron is asymmetric in shape, giving rise to a permanent electric dipole moment. I’ll describe the ACME collaboration’s recent measurement of this asymmetry using a beam of thorium monoxide molecules. Even with precision ten times better than previous experiments, we still see no signs of an asymmetric electron, contradicting the predictions of many of Standard Model extension theories.