Electron electric-dipole-moment experiment using a cold cesium fountain

Despite its success, the Standard Model of particle physics is incomplete. One of the most sensitive tests of physics beyond the Standard Model is the search for a permanent electric-dipole-moment (EDM) of a fundamental particle such as the electron.; This thesis describes a proof-of-principles electron EDM experiment using cold atoms. The experiment has a number of features that distinguish it from other measurement methods: a cold atom fountain replaces, an atomic beam; the magnetic fields are measured and nulled as a function of atomic position; no magnetic fields are used to quantize the atomic state; and the EDM and systematic errors are measured simultaneously by preparing the atoms into a superposition of more than two Zeeman states. The initial EDM results obtained using this apparatus are presented and analyzed with the resulting limit |de| < 2.5 x 10 -22e-cm. Combined with existing technologies, the techniques described in this thesis could make a measurement with a sensitivity that would surpass the current limit on the electron EDM.