Workshop on Precision Measurements with Radioisotopes

11 Aug 2025, 09:00 → 12 Aug 2025, 19:30 US/Central

JCAIN 202 (Texas A&M University)

Jonas Karthein (Texas A&M University)

Two-day (Mon, Aug 11 - Tue, Aug 12) Workshop on Precision Measurements with Radioisotopes, ahead of this year's Low-Energy Community Meeting (Wed, Aug 13 - Fri, Aug 15), both organized at Texas A&M University.

This workshop aims to provide a thorough overview of ongoing research in our precision measurement community while stimulating collaboration on open projects. A workshop of this scope is particularly timely given the newly available expertise from the 10+ recent hires for permanent roles in our field. As such, each invited speaker is asked to highlight their future work, including a realistic wish list from the isotope facilities, experiments, or theory that could elevate their research program.

We thank Texas A&M University, the Cyclotron Institute, and FRIB/MSU for sponsoring this event.

 

Lunch will be provided for registered participants. Registration closes 7/27!

Monday 11 August

09:00 → 10:30 Experiment: Molecules and Lasers

09:00 Welcome

Speaker: Prof. Jonas Karthein (Texas A&M University)

09:05 Towards Ultracold Assembly of Radioactive Molecules for New Physics Searches

Speaker: David DeMille (University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory)

09:30 Advancing precision studies of radioactive molecules for nuclear science

Tbd

Speaker: Shane Wilkins (Facility for Rare Isotope Beams/Michigan State University)

10:00 Laser spectroscopy for nuclear structure studies at FRIB

I will introduce the BECOLA/RISE facility at FRIB for laser spectroscopy and give some science examples and future programs of the project.

Speaker: Kei Minamisono (NSCL/MSU)

10:30 → 11:00 Break

11:00 → 12:00 Experiment: ANL lasers

11:00 Laser Spectroscopy at Argonne National Laboratory

The ATLAS accelerator facility at Argonne offers many unique opportunities to perform experiments on stopped and cooled radioactive beams. I will present an overview of the existing laser spectroscopy program and prospects, focusing on the NuCARIBU source and the N=126 factory.

Speaker: Dr Bernhard Maass (Argonne National Laboratory)

bmaass_lecm_pm.pdf

11:30 Update on the Ra-225 EDM experiment

Speaker: Peter Mueller (Argonne National Laboratory)

TAMU PW 2025 P Mueller v1.pptx

12:00 → 13:30 Lunch

13:30 → 15:00 Theory: 1

13:30 Nuclear lattice simulations for ab initio nuclear structure

This talk covers recent algorithmic developments for nuclear lattice simulations and calculations of ab initio nuclear structure. I discuss wavefunction matching, the pinhole algorithm, parametric matrix models, and calculations of the beryllium, carbon, and silicon isotopes. I also present theoretical and experimental evidence for multimodal superfluidity of neutrons.

Speaker: Prof. Dean Lee (Michigan State University)

Lee_Precision_Measurements_2025.pdf

14:00 How high-precision measurements can impact halo physics

Halo structures are sensitive threshold phenomena, characterized by weak binding, a large spatial extension, and the emergence of new effective degrees of freedom. As such, they can provide stringent constraints on nuclear forces. In this talk, I will discuss the physics of halo states and explain how high-precision measurements of energies and radii can advance our understanding of nuclear forces. After introducing basic concepts, I will notably present the relation between weak-binding, the emergence of collectivity, and the presence of halo structures in the N=20 island of inversion, and its possible impact on the search for halo states in N=8-20 proton-rich nuclei.

Speaker: Dr Kevin Fossez (Florida State University & FRIB)

14:30 Developing precise predictions of electroweak structure of nuclei

This contribution will highlight recent work on ab initio theory predictions of electroweak properties of nuclei. Ab initio calculations are predictive, yet still relatively uncertain when compared to precision measurements. Still such calculations can both guide the interpretation of experimental signals and be calibrated with experimental data to provide more precise predictions.

I will outline some perspectives for future developments to further extend the reach of ab initio nuclear theory.

Speaker: Matthias Heinz (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

2025.08.11_TAMUWorkshop.pdf

15:00 → 15:30 Break

15:30 → 17:00 Experiment: FRIB

15:30 Towards Protactinium-229 and Radioactive Molecules in Solids

Pear-shaped nuclei are expected to enhance the effects of parity and time-reversal symmetry violation by a few or more orders of magnitude. A high density of nuclei implanted in transparent cryogenic solids as either atomic ions or neutral molecules, where the internal electric field at the nucleus far exceeds that of typical laboratory electric fields, may be an efficient platform for searching for new symmetry violating physics. We’ll describe our plans to calibrate the new physics sensitivity of Pa-229 and to quantify the efficiency of the production of neutral radioactive molecules using electrospray ionization.

Speaker: Prof. Jaideep Singh (FRIB/MSU)

2025-08-11-invited-WPMR-TAMU-EDM-JTS-abstract.pdf

16:00 Towards Quantum Control and Sensing of Th227O Molecules and Other Radioactive Molecules for Nuclear Schiff Moment Search

This talk covers the ongoing effort and plans at FRIB to perform quantum control and sensing of Th227O molecules, for a new generation of Nuclear Schiff Moment search. Photon-cycling scheme, rotational-state cooling scheme, and single quantum state preparation and readout schemes will be discussed. In addition, I'm presenting the plan towards a laser-less approach to produce cold species for nearly the entire periodic table, using a centrifuge decelerator.

Speaker: Xing Wu (FRIB / Michigan State University)

16:30 Things to do before... Pa229 EDM

Speaker: Prajwal Mohanmurthy (MIT / MS St. U.)

LECM-TAMU.pptx

17:00 → 18:00 Discussion Session: 1

Conveners: Dean Lee (Michigan State University), Jaideep Singh (FRIB/MSU)

Tuesday 12 August

09:00 → 10:30 Experiment: Masses

09:00 Latest news from LEBIT and future upgrades to the stopped beam facility at FRIB

The Low-Energy Beam and Ion Trap (LEBIT) facility [1] at the recently commissioned Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) remains the only facility that employs Penning trap mass spectrometry for high-precision mass measurements of rare isotopes produced via projectile fragmentation. This powerful combination of a fast, chemically insensitive rare isotope production method with a high-precision Penning trap mass spectrometer has yielded mass measurements of short-lived rare isotopes with precisions below 10 ppb across the chart of nuclides. The first LEBIT measurement campaigns in the FRIB era were a mass measurement of the proton dripline nucleus 22Al [2], a potential proton halo candidate, a push towards the N=Z=50 doubly magic shell closure [3,4], as well as providing an isomerically purified beam of 70Cu to the SuN total absorption spectrometer that was installed downstream of LEBIT.

To expand the experimental reach of Penning trap mass spectrometry to nuclides delivered at very low rates, the new Single Ion Penning Trap [4,5] (SIPT) has been built. SIPT uses narrowband FT-ICR detection under cryogenic conditions to perform mass measurements of high-impact candidates, delivered at rates as low as one ion per day, with only a single detected ion. Additional upgrades to the stopped beam facility at FRIB, including a high-resolution magnetic mass separator and high-performance MR-ToF will ensure that the mass measurement program will make optimal use of the wide range of rare isotope beams provided by FRIB, as well as offer new opportunities for all users of stopped beams.

[1] R. J. Ringle, S. Schwarz, and G. Bollen, Int. J. Mass Spectrom. 349-350, 87 (2013).
[2] S. Campbell, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 152501 (2024).
[3] C. M. Ireland, et al. Phys. Rev. C 111, 014314 (2025).
[4] C. M. Ireland, submitted
[5] A. Hamaker, et al., Hyperfine Interact. 240, 34 (2019).
[6] S. Campbell et al., Atoms 11, 10 (2023).

Speaker: Prof. Ryan Ringle (FRIB/Michigan State University)

09:30 Opportunities with the CPT at the N=126 Factory

Speaker: Jason Clark (Argonne National Laboratory)

10:00 Precise measurements of superallowed mirror beta decays at the St. Benedict facility

Precise measurements of nuclear beta decays provide a unique insight into the Standard Model due to their connection to electroweak interactions. These decays can provide constraints on the unitarity or non-unitarity of the Cabbibo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) quark mixing matrix, where non-unitarity could signal potential physics beyond the Standard Model. The most precise of these tests involves the matrix element V­ud as determined from superallowed pure Fermi beta decays, and indicates a deviation from unitarity on the order of ~3σ . As such, cross-checks from additional methods, including superallowed mixed mirror beta decays, are necessary. V­ud precision from mirror decays is currently limited by the absence of precise Fermi-to-Gamow Teller mixing ratios, which are most sensitively determined via the angular correlation of the neutrino and beta particle emitted during the decay. At the Nuclear Science Laboratory (NSL) at the University of Notre Dame, the Superallowed Transition Beta-Neutrino Decay Ion Coincidence Trap (St. Benedict) is being constructed to determine the beta-neutrino angular correlation parameter of various mirror decays. Measurements of this correlation parameter for the beta decays of nuclei ranging from ­­11C to 41Sc will be achieved using radioactive ion beams from the NSL’s TwinSol separator, resulting in significantly improved precision of the V­ud element of the CKM matrix from superallowed mirror transitions. The status of the development and commissioning of St. Benedict will be presented.

Speaker: Sam Porter (University of Notre Dame)

10:30 → 11:00 Break

11:00 → 11:30 Theory: Astro and Masses

11:00 Chiral N3LO_Texas: Towards more accurate nuclear interactions

Over the past decades, ab initio nuclear theory has made dramatic progress, reaching even heavy nuclei such as 208Pb. Yet, the nature of nuclear forces remains a profound mystery. In this talk, I will first give a brief overview of some of the most commonly used nuclear forces derived from chiral EFT. I will then introduce a new chiral N3LO_Texas two- and three-body interaction, capable of accurately reproducing a broad range of complex nuclear observables, including two-body scattering phase shifts, properties of A=2 to 208 nucleon systems, and equations of state of nuclear matter. Finally, I will present first applications of this interaction to calcium isotopes, highlighting its predictive power in the neutron-rich region.

Speaker: Dr Baishan Hu (Texas A&M University)

11:30 → 12:00 Experiment: Experiment: Superheavies

11:30 Mass Spectrometry of Heavy Elements with AETHER

Speaker: Erich Leistenschneider (LBNL)

12:00 → 13:30 Lunch

13:30 → 15:00 Experiment: Cyclotron Research & New Methods

13:30 Low-energy nuclear 𝛽 decay at the CI: current status and future prospects

Speaker: Prof. Dan Melconian (Texas A&M University)

melconian-LECM25.pdf

14:00 Precision Spectroscopy at NEPTUNE and Texas A&M’s Cyclotron Institute

This contribution will introduce the current status and ongoing efforts at the NEPTUNE project, a novel experiment to measure parity-violating electroweak nuclear effects. [PRL 133, 033003 (2024)]

In addition, the new Karthein Lab at the Texas A&M will be introduced with various developments for spectroscopy on radioactive atoms and molecules at the on-campus Cyclotron Institute.

Speaker: Prof. Jonas Karthein (Texas A&M University)

14:30 Studies of Radium containing molecules for Fundamental Physics

Speaker: Prof. Ronald F Garcia Ruiz (MIT)

Ronald_Texas_2025_3.pdf

15:00 → 15:30 Break

15:30 → 17:00 Experiment: New Methods

15:30 Radioactive + Molecule + Ion: 229ThF+

We present a new experiment to measure the Schiff Moment of 229ThF+ molecular ions. Th-229 has a potentially large Schiff Moment from the octupole deformation. The ions are efficiently available by α-recoil from U-233. ThF+’s electronic structure is well known from JILA’s studies. By combining the efficient ion manipulation techniques, we hope to overcome the rare amount of radioactive species.

Speaker: Xing Fan (Harvard University)

16:00 Precision measurements of molecular ions in a ring trap

In this presentation, I will discuss an ongoing experiment aimed at exploring physics beyond the Standard Model through precision measurements of trapped molecular ions. By combining techniques from trapped-ion quantum information processing with the intrinsic sensitivity of molecules, we are developing a tabletop platform to probe Charge–Parity (CP) violation in the hadronic sector. Such CP-violating effects could arise from new particles or forces linked to energy scales above 100 TeV—far beyond the reach of current high-energy colliders. Our approach employs quantum entanglement for high-fidelity state preparation and detection via Quantum Logic Spectroscopy (QLS), whose molecule-independent nature allows broad adaptability across molecular species. This versatility is crucial for cross-validating results and disentangling the mechanisms underlying CP violation. We are also developing the Centripetally-Polarized Ions in a Ring with Quantum Logic (CIRQL) trap—a chip-scale circular ion trap that continuously transports ions along a ring. The induced rotational motion polarizes molecular ions in the rotating frame, enhancing sensitivity to CP-violating interactions.

Speaker: Yan Zhou (University of Nevada, Las Vegas)

16:30 Towards Cavity QED with Cold Molecules for Quantum-Enhanced Precision Measurements

We present a proposal for implementing cavity quantum electrodynamics (cavity QED) with cold molecules to enable quantum-enhanced sensing for fundamental physics. By exploiting the rich internal structure of molecules, this approach has the potential to surpass the Standard Quantum Limit through engineered spin-squeezed states generated via strong light–matter coupling in a high-finesse optical cavity. We outline the experimental design under development, discuss key challenges such as complex multi-channel decay, and note that, on the theory side, we have identified detuning regimes where Raman-scattering-induced decoherence is sufficiently suppressed to allow non-destructive measurements. This work-in-progress aims to lay the foundation for performing precision measurements beyond the Standard Quantum Limit through the use of entangled states, opening new opportunities in the search for symmetry-violating moments, refined determinations of fundamental constants, and novel probes for dark matter.

Speaker: Edwin Pedrozo (University of Florida (UF))

17:00 → 18:00 Discussion Session: 2

Conveners: Matthias Heinz (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), Ronald F Garcia Ruiz (MIT)