Production and spectroscopy of cold radioactive molecules
Abstract
Molecules with heavy, radioactive nuclei promise extreme sensitivity to fundamental nuclear and particle physics. However, these nuclei are available in limited quantities, which challenges their use in precision measurements. Here we demonstrate the gas-phase synthesis, cryogenic cooling, and high-resolution laser spectroscopy of radium monohydroxide, monodeuteroxide, and monofluoride molecules ( 226 RaOH, 226 RaOD, and 226 RaF) in a tabletop apparatus by combining trace radioactive target production protocols, optically driven chemistry in a cryogenic buffer gas, and low-background spectroscopic detection methods. The molecules are cooled in the lab frame, creating conditions that are the same starting points as those for many current molecular precision measurement and quantum information experiments. This approach can be readily applied to a wide range of species and establishes key capabilities for molecular quantum sensing of exotic nuclei.
Article Details
Journal Info
Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Authors (11)
Chandler J. Conn
Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Phelan Yu
Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Madison I. Howard
Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Yuxi Yang
Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Chaoqun Zhang
Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Arian Jadbabaie
Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Aikaterini Gorou
Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Alyssa N. Gaiser
Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
Timothy C. Steimle
Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Lan Cheng
Nicholas R. Hutzler
Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.