Perspectives on electric dipole moments of atoms and molecules

Abstract

Searches for a permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of a fundamental particle started with the key idea by Ramsey and Purcell of exploitation of discrete symmetries, such as parity, more than seven decades ago. These searches provide a model-independent test of theoretical frameworks, in particular, the Standard Model of particle physics. Over time, a large number of experimentally suitable systems, also atoms and molecules, provided more stringent limits on possible EDMs. We discuss some perspectives on such experiments in the context of statistics, systematics, and sensitivities to beyond the Standard Model physics.