Observation of the distribution of nuclear magnetization in a molecule
Precise experimental control and interrogation of molecules and calculations of their structure are enriching the investigation of nuclear and particle physics phenomena. Molecules containing heavy, octupole-deformed nuclei, such as radium, are of particular interest. Here, we report precision laser spectroscopy measurements and theoretical calculations of the structure of the radioactive radium monofluoride molecule <sup>225</sup>Ra<sup>19</sup>F. Our results reveal fine details of the short-range electron-nucleus interaction, indicating the high sensitivity of this molecule to the distribution of magnetization, within the radium nucleus. These results provide a stringent test of the description of the electronic wave function inside the nuclear volume, highlighting the suitability of these molecules for investigating subatomic phenomena.
Authors
- S. Geldhof (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1335-3505)
- J. R. Reilly
- T. A. Isaev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1123-8316)
- Carsten Zülch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2563-1342)
- Silviu‐Marian Udrescu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1989-576X)
- Á. Koszorús (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7959-8786)
- Alex Brinson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9551-5298)
- Thomas F. Giesen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2401-0049)
- Reinhard Heinke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6053-1346)
- Alexander A. Breier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1086-9095)
- K. T. Flanagan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0847-2662)
- I. Belošević (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8001-8889)
- T. E. Cocolios (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0456-7878)
- S. Kujanpää (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5709-3442)
- G. Neyens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8613-1455)
- S. Rothe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5727-7754)
- M. Au (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8358-7235)
- R. P. de Groote (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4942-1220)
- L. V. Skripnikov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2062-684X)
- L. Lalanne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1207-9038)
- H. A. Perrett (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8831-2935)
- D. Hanstorp (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6490-6897)
- Quanjun Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8087-2727)
- Robert Berger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9107-2725)
- Miranda Nichols (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3693-7295)
- B. van den Borne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3348-7276)
- X. F. Yang
- Konstantin Gaul (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6990-6949)
- Anaïs Dorne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4014-5816)
- M. Athanasakis-Kaklamanakis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0336-5980)
- R. F. García Ruíz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2926-5569)
- J. Wessolek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9804-5538)
- K. Chrysalidis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2908-8424)
- S. G. Wilkins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8897-7227)
- S. Franchoo
- M. L. Bissell
Institutions
- University of Kassel (DE)
- TRIUMF (CA)
- Philipps University of Marburg (DE)
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
- Peking University (CN)
- University of Manchester (GB)
- Laboratoire de Physique des 2 Infinis Irène Joliot-Curie (FR)
- Infection et inflammation (FR)
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- European Organization for Nuclear Research (CH)
- University of Gothenburg (SE)
- University of Jyväskylä (FI)
- KU Leuven (BE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science
- Published
- 2025-10-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adm7717
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Chemical Physics Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.74