Dr. Jonas Karthein

Biography

Professor Karthein's research focuses on the study of atomic nucleus effects on electron shell short-lived atoms and molecules. Utilizing electronic orbitals that deeply penetrate the nucleus, combined with entangled states, allows for measurement of fundamental effects in Standard Model Particle Physics. Specifically, Karthein explores previously unstudied effects of nuclear electroweak structure that violate fundamental symmetries in nature, such as parity (mirror) symmetry. The effect of the nuclear anapole moment is expected to induce significant shifts in electronic energy levels that can be measured by lasers. These shifts are caused by new fundamental particles that mediate what is referred to as dark matter/energy, which constitutes the majority of matter and energy in the universe. Furthermore, understanding parity-violating effects is a necessary step in investigating nuclear electric dipole moments (EDM), a time-symmetry violating effect that is orders of magnitude larger than its electron EDM counterpart. This phenomenon addresses the matter-antimatter asymmetry puzzle, which is a major open question in physics regarding why there is more matter than antimatter in the universe. Karthein and collaborators conduct precision laser spectroscopy and ion trapping experiments at the U.S. Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and its European counterpart CERN/ISOLDE. Additionally, as part of the NEPTUNE collaboration, Karthein is developing a platform for quantum sensing measurements of stable molecules, established in the Karthein Lab at the Cyclotron Institute of Texas A&M University. The lab also develops ultra-sensitive laser spectroscopy techniques to study the electronic structure of molecular ions produced in minuscule quantities, focusing on artificially created radioactive molecules that are highly sensitive to symmetry-violating nuclear effects. His research has broad implications in the fields of nuclear, atomic, molecular, optical physics, quantum chemistry, astrophysics of cold molecular clouds, and medical isotopes for cancer treatment.

Research Interests