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Atomic parity violation in highly charged Ca40,48 and Pb208 ions

A. V. Viatkina1,2, Ch. G. Mertens1,3, B. Ohayon4, V. A. Yerokhin5, and A. Surzhykov1,2

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Phys. Rev. A 114, 012814 – Published 16 July, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/tcds-zmy1

Abstract

We calculate parity-violation-induced E1 amplitudes for the 1s→2s and 1s22s→1s23s transitions in H- and Li-like ions of Ca40, Ca48, and Pb208. In our analysis, we account for neutron skin effects and nuclear uncertainties for each nucleus. We consider the spin-independent weak-interaction contribution of the Z0 boson described by the standard model, as well as the effects of a hypothetical new Z′ boson of varying mass. We conclude that the neutron-skin corrections in the Ca40,48 isotope pair can mostly be neglected when considering Z′ boson effects, which is an advantage for the search for new parity-violating physics. However, both the neutron skin effect and the sensitivity to hypothetical Z′ interactions in Pb208 are shown to be significant.

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Phys. Rev. A 114, 012814– Published 16 July, 2026
  • Received 9 March 2026
  • Accepted 23 June 2026
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