A new window on the atomic nucleus through high-precision atomic spectroscopy techniques.

This project will extend the precision frontier for measurements of the atomic structure of radioactive nuclei by a factor of 1000 compared to the current state-of-the art, with the aim of improving our understanding of the motion and distribution of nucleons in radioactive atomic nuclei. By using high-precision quantum optics methods at radioactive beam facilities, combining lasers, ion traps and radiofrequency fields, new nuclear observables can be studied for the first time in radioactive isotopes and molecules. Those observables will be used to challenge modern nuclear and particle physics theories. On the nuclear level, further insight will be gained into the yet not well understood nuclear force that binds protons and neutrons in complex structures forming exotic isotopes. By measuring these new nuclear observables in specific isotopes or molecules that are sensitive to fundamental symmetry violations, new ways to search for physics beyond the standard model will be explored. Technical developments at the home laboratory will be combined with state-of-the art measurements at radioactive beam facilities, to further enhance our understanding of the fundamental forces in nature.