Enhanced magnetic quadrupole moments in nuclei with octupole deformation and their CP -violating effects in molecules

Abstract

Nuclei with an octupole deformation have a nonzero electric octupole moment, electric dipole moment (EDM), Schiff moment, and magnetic quadrupole moment (MQM) in the intrinsic frame, which rotates with the nucleus. In a state with definite angular momentum in the laboratory frame, these moments are forbidden by parity (P) and time-reversal (T) invariance conservation, meaning their expectation values vanish due to nuclear rotation. However, nuclei with an octupole deformation have doublets of close opposite parity rotational states with the same spin, which are mixed by T-, P-odd nuclear forces. This mixing produces the orientation of the nuclear axis along nuclear spin and all moments existing in the intrinsic frame appear in the laboratory frame (provided the nuclear spin I is sufficiently large to allow such moment). Such a mechanism produces enhanced T-. P-violating nuclear moments. This enhancement also takes place in nuclei with a soft octupole vibration mode. Schiff moments in such nuclei have been calculated in previous works. In the present paper we consider the magnetic quadrupole moment, which appears in isotopes with nuclear spin I≥1. Magnetic interaction between the nuclear MQM and electrons produces an atomic EDM and T-, P-violating nuclear spin-molecular axis interaction constants for molecules in electronic states with nonzero electron angular momentum. Measurements of these constants may be used to test CP-violation theories and search for axion dark matter in atomic, molecular, and solid state experiments. Potential candidate nuclei include Eu153, Dy161, Fr221, Fr223, Ra223, Rn223, Ac225, Ac227, Th229, Pa229, U233, and U235. We subsequently consider molecules containing these nuclei (EuO, EuN+, RaF, AcO, AcN+, AcF+, ThO, and ThF+).