Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026

Measurement of Ultrafast Vibrational Coherences in Polyatomic Radical Cations with Strong-Field Adiabatic Ionization
Published on: August 6, 2018
Ultracold heavy molecular anions as enhanced probes of CP violation
Huagang Xiao1,2, Qin Fan1, Xin Zhou1
1Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
Abstract:
Heavy polar molecules play a central role in precision measurements that probe physics beyond the Standard Model, most notably searches for the electron electric dipole moment (eEDM). Recent demonstrations of evaporative cooling of molecular anions have created an unexplored opportunity for extending such measurements to a new class of chemical species. Here, we present the comprehensive relativistic electronic structure investigation of a heavy molecular anion FrF-, which is anticipated to be a promising candidate for laser cooling and for studies of conjugation and parity violation. Using high-level two-component configuration-interaction methods, we carried out a detailed investigation of the cooling cycle mechanism of the FrF- molecular anion and evaluated the key parameters-effective electric field (Eeff), hyperfine constant (A‖), electron-nucleon scalar-pseudoscalar constant (WP,T), and nuclear quadrupole moment constant (WM). By quantitatively disentangling the contributions from basis-set hierarchy, electron correlation, spin-orbit coupling, and quantum electrodynamics effects, we provide a transparent and reliable uncertainty analysis for each constant. Our results reveal that FrF- exhibits a remarkably large intrinsic sensitivity to the eEDM, rivaling leading neutral and cationic candidates. These findings establish ultracold molecular anions as a powerful and previously untapped platform for next-generation symmetry tests and precision measurement science.
Related Concept Videos
¹³C NMR: Distortionless Enhancement by Polarization Transfer (DEPT)
Insensitive Nuclei Enhanced by Polarization Transfer (INEPT)
Double Resonance Techniques: Overview
Spin decoupling is usually achieved by...
Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry (ICP–MS): Overview
Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS): Interferences
¹³C NMR: ¹H–¹³C Decoupling
A broadband decoupling technique is used to simplify these complex, sometimes overlapping, signals. Broadband decoupling relies on a...

