Searching for parity violation in trapped chiral molecular ions

QUEST Center event
No
Speaker
Yuval Shagam (Technion)
Date
19/01/2025 - 12:00 - 11:00Add to Calendar 2025-01-19 11:00:00 2025-01-19 12:00:00 Searching for parity violation in trapped chiral molecular ions The weak force is predicted to break the parity symmetry between left and right-handed chiral molecules, but so far the effect has eluded detection. We are developing a trapped chiral molecular ion version of the search for parity violation (PV). Our candidate molecule, CHDBrI+ is predicted to be preparable via state-selective ionization and to exhibit a large PV shift of a few Hz for the C-H bend vibrational transition, where the transition’s natural linewidth is narrower than the shift. We plan to probe the PV signature in a racemic, mixed-handedness ensemble of trapped CHDBrI+, using vibrational Ramsey spectroscopy. Our newly developed ion trap is integrated with a pulsed velocity map imaging detector to probe multiple internal state populations of the molecules simultaneously by separating photo-fragment velocities. This technology will assist in overcoming the molecular complexity and help develop quantum control schemes for our molecule. We will also discuss the advantages chiral molecules have in searches for new physics as well as the status of the experiment. Resnick (209) room 210 Department of Physics physics.dept@mail.biu.ac.il Asia/Jerusalem public
Place
Resnick (209) room 210
Abstract

The weak force is predicted to break the parity symmetry between left and right-handed chiral molecules, but so far the effect has eluded detection. We are developing a trapped chiral molecular ion version of the search for parity violation (PV). Our candidate molecule, CHDBrI+ is predicted to be preparable via state-selective ionization and to exhibit a large PV shift of a few Hz for the C-H bend vibrational transition, where the transition’s natural linewidth is narrower than the shift.

We plan to probe the PV signature in a racemic, mixed-handedness ensemble of trapped CHDBrI+, using vibrational Ramsey spectroscopy. Our newly developed ion trap is integrated with a pulsed velocity map imaging detector to probe multiple internal state populations of the molecules simultaneously by separating photo-fragment velocities. This technology will assist in overcoming the molecular complexity and help develop quantum control schemes for our molecule.

We will also discuss the advantages chiral molecules have in searches for new physics as well as the status of the experiment.

Last Updated Date : 14/01/2025