  We propose an experiment to search for a permanent atomic electric-dipole
moment (EDM) using laser-cooled $^{171}$Yb atoms launched in an atomic
fountain. A uniform B field sets the quantization axis, and the Ramsey
separated-oscillatory-fields method is used to measure the Zeeman precession
frequency of the atoms. Laser beams of appropriate polarization are used for
preparation and detection in a given magnetic sublevel. The signature of an EDM
is a shift in the Ramsey resonance correlated with application of a large E
field. The precision is expected to be at least 20 times better than current
limits because the use of a cold atomic beam allows application of E field 10
times larger than in a vapor cell, and the interaction time with the E field is
200 times larger compared to a thermal beam. The leading source of systematic
error in beam experiments, the (E x v/c) motional magnetic field, is reduced
considerably because of the near-perfect reversal of velocity between up and
down trajectories through the E-field region.
