An apparatus for production and spectroscopy of BaF-doped parahydrogen cryogenic crystals for electron electric dipole moment measurements

In the physics beyond the Standard Model, one of the primary challenges is addressing the imbalance of matter and antimatter in the universe. Theories such as supersymmetry explain such discrepancy by predicting the existence of new high energy particles, with energy scale exceeding several tera-electron volts (TeV), out of reach of currently available particle accelerators. Table-top experiments emerged as a promising approach to solve this issue. These experiments focus on high sensitivity measurement of the electron Electric Dipole Moment (eEDM) in polar molecules, as by detecting small changes in the electron’s spatial charge distribution, it is possible to indirectly detect high energy particles that might influence it. This thesis focuses on the development of an apparatus within the PHYDES collaboration for the production and spectroscopy of BaF-doped parahydrogen (pH_2) cryogenic crystals. This combination, which has never been investigated before, is herein analyzed with the ultimate goal to perform eEDM measurements using the matrix isolation technique. The work involved the design and construction of a molecular source capable of generating a barium monofluoride (BaF) ion beam, that has a great coherence time along with large internal effective field, both crucial parameters for a good sensitivity of eEDM measurements. The main components of the source will be analyzed to ensure efficient and stable production of approximately 10^{14} molecules per hour. Additionally, a cryogenic setup was analyzed to produce pure pH_2, an isotope of hydrogen that will be used to host a large number of BaF molecules in a stable and inert environment with exceptional optical clarity. In this work, we stored and subsequently grew crystals of both H_2 and pH_2, conducting spectroscopic analysis to measure their thickness and achieving a pH_2 purity of approximately 97%. While the complete integration of BaF into the pH_2 matrix was not realized in this project, the apparatus developed has the potential to significantly improve the sensitivity of eEDM measurement, laying a solid groundwork for future investigations.