Prospects for assembling ultracold radioactive molecules from laser-cooled atoms

Molecules with unstable isotopes often contain heavy and deformed nuclei thus possess a high sensitivity to parity-violating effects, such as Schiff moments. Currently the best limits on moments are set diamagnetic atoms. Polar molecules quantum-enhanced sensing capabilities, however, can offer better sensitivity. In this work, we consider prototypical 223Fr107Ag molecule, octupole deformation of 223Fr francium nucleus amplifies nuclear moment molecule by two orders magnitude relative that spherical silver atom has large electronegativity. To develop competitive experimental platform based molecular quantum systems, atoms 107Ag have be brought together at ultracold temperatures. That is, explore prospects forming from laser-cooled Fr Ag We performed fully relativistic electronic-structure calculations ground excited states FrAg account for strong spin-dependent effects ionic bond Ag. addition, predict nearest-neighbor densities magnetic-field Feshbach resonances in 223Fr+107Ag collisions coupled-channel calculations. These used magneto-association into ultracold, weakly-bound FrAg. also determine conditions creating their absolute state these dimers via stimulated Raman adiabatic passage using our transition electronic dipole