top of page

Single Molecular Ions in a Penning Trap

Our group and collaborators are developing a novel technique to enable precision studies of yet-to-be-explored nuclear electroweak properties [1]. By trapping single molecular ions in a superconducting magnet (Penning trap), the extreme high magnetic field of the trap can be used to create a superposition of molecular states of different parity thereby amplifying the molecular sensitivity to electroweak nuclear properties by more than 11 orders magnitude [2], relative to prior work with atoms. This extreme boost of sensitivity will enable unique access to hadronic parity-violating nuclear properties that until now have not been measured, even for most of the stable nuclei.

 

These developments will enable future studies of the electroweak structure of short-lived isotopes with extreme proton-to-neutron ratios. These properties are not only critical to our fundamental understanding of the nuclear force and the structure of nuclei, but will also provide precise low-energy tests of the Standard Model and the violation of fundamental symmetries, both within and beyond this framework.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you are interested in this project.

[1] Karthein, Udrescu, Moroch et al. In preparation (2022).  

[2] Altunas et al . Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 142501 (2018).

bottom of page