Status of and technical advances on the CeNTREX experiment

The Cold molecule Nuclear Time-Reversal Experiment (CeNTREX) searches for fundamental time-reversal (T) symmetry violations in the hadronic sector, motivated by the unexplained magnitude of the observed baryon asymmetry in the universe. CeNTREX probes T-violating interactions by measuring small energy shifts arising from a possible nuclear Schiff moment through nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of the ²⁰⁵Tl nucleus in highly polarized thallium fluoride (TlF) molecules.

CeNTREX employs a cryogenic molecular beam source, rotational cooling, several different quantum-state preparation and manipulation protocols, and a magnetically shielded interaction region to enable sensitive Schiff moment measurements. In this interaction region, Ramsey interferometry using separated radiofrequency (RF) coils is used to perform precision NMR measurements in the presence of a 30 kV/cm electric field. In addition, a sensitive, floating, and optically isolated picoamp-level current monitor is implemented to measure leakage currents, which is crucial for controlling possible systematic effects.

This poster presents an overview of CeNTREX and describes its recent progress towards a Schiff moment measurement, with a focus on the RF coil system and the picoamp current monitor in the interaction region.