Surface Processing and Discharge-Conditioning of High Voltage Electrodes for the Ra EDM Experiment

TL;DR

This paper details the surface processing, discharge-conditioning, and performance validation of high voltage electrodes made of niobium and titanium for the Ra EDM experiment, achieving higher electric fields and lower leakage currents than previous copper electrodes.

Contribution

It introduces adapted surface decontamination techniques and demonstrates high electric field operation of large-grain niobium and titanium electrodes in a high voltage experimental setup.

Findings

Niobium electrodes operate at ±20 kV/mm with minimal leakage current.

Electrodes achieve electric fields 3.1 times higher than legacy copper electrodes.

Discharge-conditioning enables stable high-voltage operation in the Ra EDM experiment.

Abstract

The Ra EDM experiment uses a pair of high voltage electrodes to search for the atomic electric dipole moment of $^{225}$Ra. We use identical, plane-parallel electrodes with a primary high gradient surface of 200 mm$^2$ to generate reversible DC electric fields. Our statistical sensitivity is linearly proportional to the electric field strength in the electrode gap. We adapted surface decontamination and processing techniques from accelerator physics literature to chemical polish and clean a suite of newly fabricated large-grain niobium and grade-2 titanium electrodes. Three pairs of niobium electrodes and one pair of titanium electrodes were discharge-conditioned with a custom high voltage test station at electric field strengths as high as $+52.5$ kV/mm and $-51.5$ kV/mm over electrode gap sizes ranging from 0.4 mm to 2.5 mm. One pair of large-grain niobium electrodes was discharge-conditioned and validated to operate at $\pm 20$ kV/mm with steady-state leakage current $\leq 25$ pA ($1\sigma$) and a polarity-averaged $98 \pm 19$ discharges per hour. These electrodes were installed in the Ra EDM experimental apparatus, replacing a copper electrode pair, and were revalidated to $\pm 20$ kV/mm. The niobium electrodes perform at an electric field strength 3.1 times larger than the legacy copper electrodes and are ultimately limited by the maximum output of our 30 kV bipolar power supply.