Theoretical study of HfF+ for the electron EDM search
Abstract
We report ab initio relativistic correlation calculations of potential curves and electric dipole transition moments for ten low-lying electronic states, effective electric field on the electron, hyperfine constants and radiative lifetimes for the 31 state of cation of the heavy transition metal fluoride HfF+, which it is suggested to be used in experiments to search for the electric dipole moment of the electron. It is obtained that HfF+ has deeply bound 1+ ground state; its dissociation energy is De=6.4 eV. The 31 state is obtained as the relatively long-lived, with lifetime equal to about 0.4 s.,first excited state lying about 0.2 eV higher. The calculated effective electric field, Eeff=Wd||, acting on an electron in this state is 5.84*1024 Hz/e*cm. The obtained hyperfine constants are A= -1239 MHz for the 177Hf nucleus and A= -58.1 MHz for the 19F nucleus.