Ultracold High-Spin Σ-State Polar Molecules for New Physics Searches
Year: 2026
Authors: Ciamei A., Koza A., Gronowski M., Tomza M.
Autors Affiliation: Ist Nazl Ric Metrol INRiM, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Consiglio Nazl Ric CNR INO, Ist Nazl Ott, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Univ Firenze, European Lab Nonlinear Spect LENS, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Univ Warsaw, Fac Phys, Pasteura 5, PL-02093 Warsaw, Poland.
Abstract: We propose high-spin Sigma-state polar molecules assembled from ultracold atoms to probe charge-parityviolating physics beyond the standard model. We identify YbCr as a prime candidate to search for the electric dipole moment of the electron. We show that the combination of relativistic ytterbium and highspin chromium, amenable to magnetoassociation, leads to molecules with easy-to-polarize parity doublets and large intramolecular electric fields. Based on ab initio results for molecular constants, we predict a sensitivity of delta de = (6 & times; 10-31/ ffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ) e cm via standard spin-precession measurements, assess the experimental feasibility, and discuss potential extensions to more advanced quantum control as well as searches of the nuclear magnetic quadrupole moment. This work paves the way to next-generation searches for new physics with ultracold molecules in both the leptonic and hadronic sectors.
Journal/Review: PHYSICAL REVIEW X
Volume: 16 (1) Pages from: 11052-1 to: 11052-13
More Information: A. C. thanks A. Vutha, N. Hutzler, G. Carugno, G. Santambrogio, and M. Zaccanti for fruitful discussions. We gratefully acknowledge the European Union (ERC, 101042989 – QuantMol and 101220504 – COMPASS) and the National Science Centre Poland (Grants No. 2020/38/E/ST2/00564 and No. 2024/53/N/ST2/03814) for financial support, Poland ’ s high-performance computing infrastructure PLGrid (HPC Center: ACK Cyfronet AGH) for providing computer facilities and support (computational Grant No. PLG/2024/017527) , and the Italian Ministry of University and Research for the Young Researcher Grants No. MSCA_0000042 (PoPaMol) cofunded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.KeyWords: Electric-dipole Moment; Constants; EnergiesDOI: 10.1103/wlq7-9p41
