Eur. Phys. J. A (2005) 25: 691-694
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjad/i2005-06-017-1

ENAM 2004

Time-reversal violation in heavy octupole-deformed nuclei

Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina, CB 3255, 27599-3255, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

^* e-mail: engelj@physics.unc.edu

Received: 2 December 2004
Accepted: 18 February 2005
Published online: 18 April 2005

Abstract

A nonzero atomic electric-dipole moment (EDM) at a level not far from current experimental limits would signify time-reversal violation from outside the Standard Model. EDMs are enhanced in atoms that have octupole-deformed nuclei. We report a careful self-consistent mean-field calculation of the time-reversal-violating nuclear Schiff moment --the quantity that induces an atomic EDM-- in the octupole-deformed nucleus ²²⁵Ra. The self-consistent mean field in odd-A nuclei includes important effects of core polarization. The results of the calculation are encouraging for EDM experiments in the light actinides. Accurate calculations of Schiff moments in ordinary spherical and quadrupole-deformed nuclei such as ¹⁹⁹Hg are also important. We describe work in progress on this more general problem.