Andrew Jayich, Ph.D.

Professor, Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara

 

2024 Experimental Physics Investigator

Andrew Jayich, Ph.D.
 

Research Description

Our universe is full of matter and there is no antimatter. The basic laws of physics predict a universe that is equal parts matter and antimatter; therefore, our understanding of physics is incomplete. It is understood that there are undiscovered particles and interactions that explain this glaring discrepancy. An established path to detect these particles is to search for time-reversal symmetry violation, for example by looking for a charge asymmetry of the electron (a dipole moment).

Andrew Jayich’s group will study electrons in a solid where there will be large numbers of electrons to increase sensitivity to a permanent electric dipole moment of the electron. They will optically interrogate defects in a solid that effectively look like polarized molecules and are good host sites for setting bounds on the size of the electron’s electric dipole moment.

Research Impact

Dr. Jayish’s research has the potential to utilize the high number density of solids to measure fundamental properties of the electron. Such a measurement will help guide high-energy theory and is ultimately a search for new fundamental particles that are highly motivated.

 
 

related links

Experimental Physics Investigators Initiative Science University of California, Santa Barbara Department of Physics Back

Education

PhD, Yale
AB, Harvard

Affiliated Investigators