ABSTRACT:
The existence or non-existence of electric-dipole moments (EDM) on elementary particles has profound implications for the symmetry structure of basic physical theory. This thesis poses the question whether it is possible to find a more sensitive method of determining the EDM of elementary particles by looking at great ensembles of them simultaneously, as opposed to sensitive methods which look at them one at a time. The Schiff screening theorem indicates in a limited way that this may be difficult. In this thesis an attempt to circumvent the implications of the Schiff theorem was undertaken, in the course of which regretably the theorem was strengthened and generalized, making the realization of the circumvention by experimental means beyond reasonable possibility.