Zhuang Ge

Molecules have proven to be sensitive tools for studying physics beyond the standard model, with heavy and deformed nuclei offering decisive sensitivity to parity- and time-reversal-violating effects. However, almost all elements beyond lead, occupying the 6p~to~5f atomic orbitals, lack stable isotopes, hence molecules containing them are referred to as radioactive molecules. Among those, radium monofluoride has seen particular interest, but to date, research on radioactive molecules has mainly been limited to large-scale nuclear facilities. Here, we present a scheme that allows efficient and fast harvest of radioactive ions (including short-lived Ra), and show ion gas-phase reaction studies of singly and doubly charged Ra, Po, and Pb ions with SF$_6$ gas inside an ion trap. Our results show that the chemical reaction rate of Ra$^+$ is in line with trends of other alkaline earth elements, further support by quantum chemical computations. The reaction Ra$^{2+}$ + SF$_6$ $\rightarrow$ RaF${^+}$ + SF$_5^{+}$ achieves an almost unity conversion efficiency, making it particularly suitable for the application for studies in physics beyond the standard model. The scheme enables future decentralized research avenues with short-lived radioactive molecules for fundamental physics research at laboratories without the need for local nuclear reactors or accelerators.

A direct measurement of the ground-state-to-ground-state electron-capture decay $Q$ ($Q_{\rm EC}$) value of $^{97}$Tc has been conducted employing the high resolving power phase-imaging ion-cyclotron-resonance technique with the double Penning trap mass spectrometer JYFLTRAP. The resulting $Q_{\rm EC}$ value for $^{97}$Tc is 324.82(21) keV, exhibiting a precision approximately 19 times higher than the value adopted in the newest Atomic Mass Evaluation (AME2020) and differing by 1.2$σ$. Furthermore, by combining this refined $Q$ value with nuclear energy-level data for the decay-daughter $^{97}$Mo, a potential ultra-low Q-value transition, possibly of allowed type, $^{97}$Tc (9/2$^{+}$, ground state) $\rightarrow$ $^{97}$Mo$^{*}$ (320(1) keV), was evaluated for future long-term neutrino-mass determination experiments. The ground-state-to-excited-state electron-capture decay $Q$ value ($Q^{*}_{\rm EC}$) of this transition was determined to be 4.8(10) keV, confirming it to be energetically allowed with a confidence level of exceeding 4$σ$. The captures of electrons occupying the L and higher shells for this transition are energetically allowed, giving a value of 2.0(10) keV for the closest distance of $Q^{*}_{\rm EC}$ to the allowed binding energy of the L1 shell. To predict partial half-lives and energy-release distributions for this transition, the atomic self-consistent many-electron Dirac--Hartree--Fock--Slater method and the nuclear shell model have been employed. Dominant correction terms such as exchange and overlap corrections, as well as shake-up and shake-off effects, were included in the final results. Moreover, the normalized distribution of released energy in the electron-capture decay of $^{97}$Tc to excited states of $^{97}$Mo, is compared with that of $^{163}$Ho, which is being used for electron-neutrino-mass determination.

The absolute mass of $^{84}$Sr was determined using the phase-imaging ion-cyclotron-resonance technique with the JYFLTRAP double Penning trap mass spectrometer. A more precise value for the mass of $^{84}$Sr is essential for providing potential indications of physics beyond the Standard Model through high-precision isotope shift measurements of Sr atomic transition frequencies. The mass excess of $^{84}$Sr was refined to be -80649.229(37) keV/c$^2$ from high-precision cyclotron-frequency-ratio measurements with a relative precision of 4.8$\times$10$^{-10}$. The obtained mass-excess value is in agreement with the adopted value in the Atomic Mass Evaluation 2020, but is 30 times more precise. With this new value, we confirm the previously observed nonlinearity in the study of the isotope shift of strontium. Moreover, the double-beta ($2β^{+}$) decay $Q$ value of $^{84}$Sr was directly determined to be 1790.115(37) keV, and the precision was improved by a factor of 30.

High-precision mass measurements of exotic $^{95-97}$Ag isotopes close to the $N = Z$ line have been conducted with the JYFLTRAP double Penning trap mass spectrometer, with the silver ions produced using the recently commissioned inductively-heated hot cavity catcher laser ion source at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line facility. The atomic mass of $^{95}$Ag was directly determined for the first time. In addition, the atomic masses of $β$-decaying 2$^+$ and 8$^+$ states in $^{96}$Ag have been identified and measured for the first time, and the precision of the $^{97}$Ag mass has been improved. The newly measured masses, with a precision of $\approx$ 1 keV/c$^2$, have been used to investigate the $N =$ 50 neutron shell closure confirming it to be robust. Empirical shell-gap and pairing energies determined with the new ground-state mass data are compared with the state-of-the-art \textit{ab initio} calculations with various chiral effective field theory Hamiltonians. The precise determination of the excitation energy of the $^{96m}$Ag isomer in particular serves as a benchmark for \textit{ab initio} predictions of nuclear properties beyond the ground state, specifically for odd-odd nuclei situated in proximity to the proton dripline below $^{100}$Sn. In addition, density functional theory (DFT) calculations and configuration-interaction shell-model (CISM) calculations are compared with the experimental results. All theoretical approaches face challenges to reproduce the trend of nuclear ground-state properties in the silver isotopic chain across the $N =$50 neutron shell and toward the proton drip-line.