Zeroth order regular approximation approach to parity violating nuclear magnetic resonance shielding tensors

Relativistic and quantum electrodynamics effects on NMR shielding tensors of TlX (X = H, F, Cl, Br, I, At) molecules

The results of relativistic calculations of nuclear magnetic resonance shielding tensors (σ) for the thallium monocation (Tl+), thallium hydride (TlH), and thallium halides (TlF, TlCl, TlBr, TlI, and TlAt) are presented as obtained within a four-component polarization propagator formalism and a two-component linear response approach within the zeroth-order regular approximation. In addition to a detailed analysis of relativistic effects performed in this work, some quantum electrodynamical (QED) effects on those nuclear magnetic resonance shieldings and other small contributions are estimated. A strong dependence of σ(Tl) on the bonding partner is found, together with a very weak dependence of QED effects with them. In order to explain the trends observed, the excitation patterns associated with relativistic ee (or paramagnetic-like) and pp (or diamagnetic-like) contributions to σ are analyzed. For this purpose, the electronic spin-free and spin-dependent contributions are separated within the two-component zeroth-order regular approximation, and the influence of spin-orbit coupling on involved molecular orbitals is studied, which allows for a thorough understanding of the underlying mechanisms.

Opportunities for fundamental physics research with radioactive molecules

Molecules containing short-lived, radioactive nuclei are uniquely positioned to enable a wide range of scientific discoveries in the areas of fundamental symmetries, astrophysics, nuclear structure, and chemistry. Recent advances in the ability to create, cool, and control complex molecules down to the quantum level, along with recent and upcoming advances in radioactive species production at several facilities around the world, create a compelling opportunity to coordinate and combine these efforts to bring precision measurement and control to molecules containing extreme nuclei. In this manuscript, we review the scientific case for studying radioactive molecules, discuss recent atomic, molecular, nuclear, astrophysical, and chemical advances which provide the foundation for their study, describe the facilities where these species are and will be produced, and provide an outlook for the future of this nascent field.

A relativistic relationship between parity-violating nuclear spin-rotation tensors and parity-violating NMR shielding tensors

The nuclear-spin-dependent parity-violation contributions to the nuclear magnetic resonance shielding and nuclear spin-rotation tensors (σ^PV and M^PV, respectively) are known to be formally related to one another in the non-relativistic regime. In this work, the polarization propagator formalism and the linear response within the elimination of small components model are used to show a new and more general relationship between them, which is valid within the relativistic framework. The full set of the zeroth- and first-order relativistic contributions to σ^PV and M^PV are also given here for the first time, and these results are compared with previous findings. According to four-component relativistic calculations, the electronic spin-orbit effects are the most significant ones for the isotropic values of σ^PV and M^PV in the H₂X₂ series of molecules (with X = O, S, Se, Te, and Po). When only scalar relativistic effects are taken into account, the non-relativistic relationship between σ^PV and M^PV does hold. However, when the spin-orbit effects are taken into consideration, this old non-relativistic relationship breaks down, and therefore, the new one must be considered.

Relativistic and QED corrections to one-bond indirect nuclear spin-spin couplings in X$_2^{2+}$ and X$_3^{2+}$ ions (X = Zn, Cd, Hg)

The indirect spin-spin coupling tensor, $\bm J$, between mercury nuclei in systems containing this element can be of the order of few kHz and one of the largest measured. We analysed the physics behind the electronic mechanisms that contribute to the one- and two-bond couplings $^n \bm{J}_{\mathrm{Hg}-\mathrm{Hg}}$ ($n=1, 2$). For doing so, we performed calculations for $J$-couplings in the ionized $X_2^{2+}$ and $X_3^{2+}$ linear molecules ($X$ = Zn, Cd, Hg) within polarization propagator theory, using the random phase approximation and the pure zeroth--order approximation with Dirac--Hartree--Fock and Dirac--Kohn--Sham orbitals, both at four-component and ZORA levels. We show that the ``paramagnetic-like' mechanism contribute with more than 99.98\% to the total isotropic value of the coupling tensor. By analyzing the molecular and atomic orbitals involved in the total value of the response function, we find that the $s$-type valence atomic orbitals have a predominant role in the description of the coupling. This fact allows us to develop an effective model from which QED effects on $J$-couplings in the aforementioned ions can be estimated. Those effects were found to be within the interval $(0.7;~1.7)$\% of the total relativistic effect on isotropic one-bond $^1\bm{J}$ coupling, though ranging those corrections between the interval $(-0.4;~-0.2)$\% in Zn-containing ions, to $(-1.2;~-0.8)$\% in Hg-containing ions, of the total isotropic coupling constant in the studied systems. The estimated QED corrections show a visible dependence on the nuclear charge $Z$ of each atom $X$ in the form of a power-law proportional to $Z_X^5$.

Relativistic study of parity-violating nuclear spin-rotation tensors

We present a four-component relativistic approach to describe the effects of the nuclear spin-dependent parity-violating (PV) weak nuclear forces on nuclear spin-rotation (NSR) tensors. The formalism is derived within the four-component polarization propagator theory based on the Dirac-Coulomb Hamiltonian. Such calculations are important for planning and interpretation of possible future experiments aimed at stringent tests of the standard model through the observation of PV effects in NSR spectroscopy. An exploratory application of this theory to the chiral molecules H₂X₂ (X = ¹⁷O, ³³S, ⁷⁷Se, ¹²⁵Te, and ²⁰⁹Po) illustrates the dramatic effect of relativity on these contributions. In particular, spin-free and spin-orbit effects are even of opposite signs for some dihedral angles, and the latter fully dominate for the heavier nuclei. Relativistic four-component calculations of isotropic nuclear spin-rotation constants, including parity-violating electroweak interactions, give frequency differences of up to 4.2 mHz between the H₂Po₂ enantiomers; on the nonrelativistic level of theory, this energy difference is 0.1 mHz only.

Toolbox approach for quasi-relativistic calculation of molecular properties for precision tests of fundamental physics

A generally applicable approach for the calculation of relativistic properties described by one-electron operators within a two-component wave function approach is presented. The formalism is explicitly evaluated for the example of quasirelativistic wave functions obtained within the zeroth order regular approximation (ZORA). The wide applicability of the scheme is demonstrated for the calculation of parity (P) and time-reversal (T  ) symmetry violating properties, which are important for searches of physics beyond the standard model of particle physics. The quality of the ZORA results is shown exemplarily for the molecules RaF and TlF by comparison with data from four-component calculations as far as available. Finally, the applicability of RaF in experiments that search for P,T-violation not only in the electronic but also in the quark sector is demonstrated.

Chiral discrimination in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Chirality is a fundamental property of molecules whose spatial symmetry is characterized by the absence of improper rotations, making them not superimposable to their mirror image. Chiral molecules constitute the elementary building blocks of living species and one enantiomer is favoured in general (e.g. L-aminoacids and D-sugars pervade terrestrial homochiral biochemistry) because most chemical reactions producing natural substances are enantioselective. Since the effect of chiral chemicals and drugs on living beings can be markedly different between enantiomers, the quest for practical spectroscopical methods to scrutinize chirality is an issue of great importance and interest. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a topmost analytical technique, but spectrometers currently used are 'blind' to chirality, i.e. unable to discriminate the two mirror-image forms of a chiral molecule, because, in the absence of a chiral solvent, the spectral parameters, chemical shifts and spin-spin coupling constants are identical for enantiomers. Therefore, the development of new procedures for routine chiral recognition would offer basic support to scientists. However, in the presence of magnetic fields, a distinction between true and false chirality is mandatory. The former epitomizes natural optical activity, which is rationalized by a time-even pseudoscalar, i.e. the trace of a second-rank tensor, the mixed electric dipole/magnetic dipole polarizability. The Faraday effect, magnetic circular dichroism and magnetic optical activity are instead related to a time-odd axial vector. The present review summarizes recent theoretical and experimental efforts to discriminate enantiomers via NMR spectroscopy, with the focus on the deep connection between chirality and symmetry properties under the combined set of fundamental discrete operations, namely charge conjugation, parity (space inversion) and time (motion) reversal.

Synthetic routes for a variety of halogenated (chiral) acetic acids from diethyl malonate

We focus on a synthetic route to synthesise chiral halogenated acetic acids with F, Cl, Br, and H/D isotopic substitution at the α-C-atom starting from diethyl malonate.

Analysis of parity violation in chiral molecules

In order to guide the experimental search for parity violation in molecular systems, in part motivated by the possible link to biomolecular homochirality, we present a detailed analysis in a relativistic framework of the mechanism behind the tiny energy difference between enantiomers induced by the weak force. A decomposition of the molecular expectation value into atomic contributions reveals that the effect can be thought of as arising from a specific mixing of valence s(1/2) and p(1/2) orbitals on a single center induced by a chiral molecular field. The intra-atomic nature of the effect is further illustrated by visualization of the electron chirality density and suggests that a simple model for parity violation in molecules may be constructed by combining pre-calculated atomic quantities with simple bonding models. A 2-component relativistic computational procedure is proposed which bridges the relativistic and non-relativistic approaches to the calculation of parity violation in chiral molecules and allows us to explore the single-center theorem in a variational setting.