Proposal for a Sensitive Search for the Electric Dipole Moment of the Electron with Matrix-Isolated Radicals

We propose using matrix-isolated paramagnetic diatomic molecules to search for the electric dipole moment of the electron (eEDM). As was suggested by Shapiro in 1968, the eEDM leads to a magnetization of a sample in the external electric field. In a typical condensed matter experiment, the effective field on the unpaired electron is of the same order of magnitude as the laboratory field, typically about 10⁵  V/cm. We exploit the fact that the effective electric field inside heavy polar molecules is on the order of 10¹⁰  V/cm. This leads to a huge enhancement of the Shapiro effect. Statistical sensitivity of the proposed experiment may allow one to improve the current limit on eEDM by 3 orders of magnitude in a few hours accumulation time.