Calculation of the local environment of a barium monofluoride molecule in an argon matrix: a step towards using matrix-isolated BaF for determining the electron electric dipole moment

Abstract

The local environment of a barium monofluoride (BaF) molecule embedded in an argon matrix is calculated. A substitution of a BaF molecule for four Ar atoms is found to be strongly favoured compared to substitutions for other numbers of Ar atoms. The equilibrium positions of the BaF molecule and its nearby Ar neighbours are found by minimising the total energy. The potential barrier that prevents the migration of the BaF molecule within the solid and the barrier that prevents its rotation are calculated. At the cryogenic temperatures used by the EDM collaboration, these barriers are sufficiently large to fix the position and orientation of the molecule. Knowledge of the local environment of matrix-isolated BaF molecules is essential for the EDM collaboration, which is using them in a precision measurement of the electron electric dipole moment.