FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS STUDIES WITH RADIOACTIVE MOLECULES

Molecules containing heavy and octupole-deformed radioactive nuclei are predicted to provide enhanced sensitivity to investigate distinct nuclear phenomena, test the violation of fundamental symmetries, and search for new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics [1-3]. However, experimental measurements of such radioactive systems are scarce, and their study requires overcoming major experimental challenges. This talk will discuss recent spectroscopy measurements of short-lived radium fluoride molecules (RaF) [4,5] and future perspectives for fundamental physics studies with these molecules.

[1] Garcia Ruiz et al. “Spectroscopy of short-lived radioactive molecules”. Nature 581 , 396 (2020).

[2] Arrowsmith-Kron et al. “Opportunities for Fundamental Physics Research with Radioactive Molecules”. arXiv:2302.02165 (2023).

[3] Udrescu et al. “Isotope shifts of radium monofluoride molecules “ Physical Review Letters 127, 033001 (2021).

[4] Udrescu et al. "Precision spectroscopy and laser-cooling scheme of a radium-containing molecule" Nature Physics (2024) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-023-02296-w.

[5] Wilkins et al. "Observation of the distribution of nuclear magnetization in a molecule" arXiv:2311.04121 (2024).