What the study found
The study reports the first calculation of a nuclear Schiff moment, a measure related to violations of time-reversal and parity-inversion symmetry, for fluorine-19. It also reports that this work, combined with measurements on hafnium monofluoride cation, enabled the first experimental bound on the fluorine-19 nuclear Schiff moment.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors say nuclear Schiff moments are sensitive probes for physics beyond the standard model of particle physics. They conclude that this work establishes a foundation for constraining pion-nucleon-nucleon interactions using nuclear ab initio methods.
What the researchers tested
The researchers used a nuclear ab initio framework, specifically the no-core shell model, to study fluorine-19. They also carried out quantum-chemistry calculations to evaluate how sensitive hafnium monofluoride cation is to the fluorine-19 nuclear Schiff moment.
What worked and what didn't
The calculation produced the first nuclear Schiff moment result for fluorine-19 in this framework. Combined with recent high-precision measurements of the molecular electric dipole moment of hafnium monofluoride cation, it enabled the first experimental bound on the fluorine-19 nuclear Schiff moment. The abstract says the resulting bounds on the pion-nucleon-nucleon coupling constants are not yet the most stringent.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe detailed limitations beyond noting that the pion-nucleon-nucleon coupling constant bounds are not yet the strongest. The summary available here is limited to fluorine-19 and hafnium monofluoride cation.
Key points
- The paper reports the first nuclear Schiff moment calculation for fluorine-19.
- The researchers used the no-core shell model, a nuclear ab initio method, for the calculation.
- They also calculated the sensitivity of hafnium monofluoride cation to the fluorine-19 nuclear Schiff moment.
- Combined with recent measurements, the work enabled the first experimental bound on the fluorine-19 nuclear Schiff moment.
- The authors say the work lays a foundation for constraining pion-nucleon-nucleon interactions with nuclear ab initio methods.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- First ab initio calculation of the fluorine-19 nuclear Schiff moment
- Authors:
- Kia Boon Ng, Stephan Foster, Lan Cheng, P. Navrátil, S. Malbrunot-Ettenauer
- Institutions:
- Johns Hopkins University, McMaster University, University of Toronto
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-26
- DOI:
- 10.1103/m4fx-g1h6
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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