Observation of the distribution of nuclear magnetization in a molecule
Name
Observation_of_the_nuclear_magnetization_distribution_effect_in_a_radium_containing_molecule_for_MIT_DSpace.pdf
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Author(s)
Wilkins, S. G.
Udrescu, S. M.
Athanasakis-Kaklamanakis, M.
Garcia Ruiz, R. F.
Belosevic, I.
Berger, R.
Bissell, M. L.
Breier, A. A.
Brinson, A. J.
Chrysalidis, K.
Date Issued
October 23, 2025
Journal
Science
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Citation
Wilkins, S. G., Udrescu, S. M., Athanasakis-Kaklamanakis, M., Garcia Ruiz, R. F., Belosevic, I. et al. 2025. "Observation of the distribution of nuclear magnetization in a molecule." Science.
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Rapid progress in the experimental control and interrogation of molecules, combined
with developments in precise calculations of their structure, are enabling new opportunities in the investigation of nuclear and particle physics phenomena. Molecules
containing heavy, octupole-deformed nuclei such as radium are of particular interest
for such studies, offering an enhanced sensitivity to the properties of fundamental particles and interactions. Here, we report precision laser spectroscopy measurements
and theoretical calculations of the structure of the radioactive radium monofluoride
molecule, 225Ra19F. Our results allow fine details of the short-range electron-nucleus
interaction to be revealed, indicating the high sensitivity of this molecule to the distribution of magnetization, currently a poorly constrained nuclear property, within the
radium nucleus. These results provide a direct and stringent test of the description of
the electronic wavefunction inside the nuclear volume, highlighting the suitability of
these molecules to investigate subatomic phenomena.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adm7717
