Nuclear Electric Quadrupole Moment-Induced Parity Doubling in Molecules for Symmetry-Violation Searches

Abstract

Searches for the nuclear magnetic quadrupole moment (MQM) and nuclear Schiff moment (NSM) have high discovery potential for violations of time ($T$) and parity ($P$) reversal symmetries beyond the Standard Model. Molecules containing heavy nuclei are typically used to enhance the sensitivity to MQMs and NSMs due to their strong internal electric fields and potential octupole deformation. To extract these effects in the laboratory frame, a bias electric field is required to polarize the molecule by mixing states of opposite parity (parity doublets). Typical heavy nuclei that are sensitive to symmetry-violation also possess large nuclear electric quadrupole moments (EQMs) when its nuclear spin is $I\geq1$. We show that EQMs can significantly modify the energy splitting between parity doublet states and thus change the required polarizing electric field. As a result, the EQM-induced energy splitting must be taken into account in designing such experiments. We provide qualitative estimates of parity doubling from EQMs and supporting \textit{ab initio} calculations, along with implications for candidate molecules in symmetry-violation searches.