The observation of vibrating pear-shapes in radon nuclei

P. A. Butler (), L. P. Gaffney, P. Spagnoletti, J. Konki, M. Scheck, J. F. Smith, K. Abrahams, M. Bowry, J. Cederkäll, T. Chupp, G. de Angelis, H. De Witte, P. E. Garrett, A. Goldkuhle, C. Henrich, A. Illana, K. Johnston, D. T. Joss, J. M. Keatings, N. A. Kelly, M. Komorowska, T. Kröll, M. Lozano, B. S. Nara Singh, D. O’Donnell, J. Ojala, R. D. Page, L. G. Pedersen, C. Raison, P. Reiter, J. A. Rodriguez, D. Rosiak, S. Rothe, T. M. Shneidman, B. Siebeck, M. Seidlitz, J. Sinclair, M. Stryjczyk, P. Van Duppen, S. Vinals, V. Virtanen, N. Warr, K. Wrzosek-Lipska and M. Zielinska
Additional contact information
P. A. Butler: University of Liverpool
L. P. Gaffney: University of Liverpool
P. Spagnoletti: University of the West of Scotland
J. Konki: CERN
M. Scheck: University of the West of Scotland
J. F. Smith: University of the West of Scotland
K. Abrahams: University of the Western Cape
M. Bowry: TRIUMF
J. Cederkäll: Lund University
T. Chupp: University of Michigan
G. de Angelis: INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro
H. De Witte: KU Leuven
P. E. Garrett: University of Guelph
A. Goldkuhle: University of Cologne
C. Henrich: Technische Universität Darmstadt
A. Illana: INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro
K. Johnston: CERN
D. T. Joss: University of Liverpool
J. M. Keatings: University of the West of Scotland
N. A. Kelly: University of the West of Scotland
M. Komorowska: University of Warsaw
T. Kröll: Technische Universität Darmstadt
M. Lozano: CERN
B. S. Nara Singh: University of the West of Scotland
D. O’Donnell: University of the West of Scotland
J. Ojala: University of Jyvaskyla
R. D. Page: University of Liverpool
L. G. Pedersen: University of Oslo
C. Raison: University of York
P. Reiter: University of Cologne
J. A. Rodriguez: CERN
D. Rosiak: University of Cologne
S. Rothe: CERN
T. M. Shneidman: JINR Dubna
B. Siebeck: University of Cologne
M. Seidlitz: University of Cologne
J. Sinclair: University of the West of Scotland
M. Stryjczyk: KU Leuven
P. Van Duppen: KU Leuven
S. Vinals: Consejo Superior De Investigaciones Científicas
V. Virtanen: University of Jyvaskyla
N. Warr: University of Cologne
K. Wrzosek-Lipska: University of Warsaw
M. Zielinska: Université Paris-Saclay

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract There is a large body of evidence that atomic nuclei can undergo octupole distortion and assume the shape of a pear. This phenomenon is important for measurements of electric-dipole moments of atoms, which would indicate CP violation and hence probe physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. Isotopes of both radon and radium have been identified as candidates for such measurements. Here, we observed the low-lying quantum states in 224Rn and 226Rn by accelerating beams of these radioactive nuclei. We show that radon isotopes undergo octupole vibrations but do not possess static pear-shapes in their ground states. We conclude that radon atoms provide less favourable conditions for the enhancement of a measurable atomic electric-dipole moment.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10494-5

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