Radioactive Molecules - New Probes for New Physics

par Stephan Malbrunot-Ettenauer (TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2A3, Canada)

mercredi 8 avr. 2026, 15:00 → 16:00 Europe/Paris

100/-1-A900 - Auditorium Joliot Curie (IJCLab)

Molecules in which one of its constituting atoms contain a short-lived, radioactive nuclide were recently introduced as intriguing objects of research. These radioactive molecules can be tailored to maximize the sensitivity to new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. For example, when incorporating octupole-deformed (‘pear-shaped’) radionuclides into polar molecules, one obtains captivating probes for molecular electric dipole moments (EDMs) with unparalleled sensitivity to phenomena associated with time-reversal-symmetry breaking inside the atomic nucleus. Uncovering novel sources of time-reversal violation has the potential to resolve one of the most tantalizing puzzles in modern physics, i.e., why there is more matter than antimatter in the universe.

Due to their short half-lives, spanning mere weeks, days, or even less, the radioisotopes of interest do not occur naturally but can be synthesized at specialized radioactive ion beam (RIB) facilities such as the Advanced Rare Isotope Laboratory (ARIEL) at TRIUMF, Canada’s particle accelerator centre. There, the recently formed RadMol collaboration is pursuing a program to fully exploit the science potential of radioactive molecules.

In this talk, RadMol’s scientific vision will be presented along with its recent experimental and theoretical advances