Computational Insight into Diatomic Molecules as Probes to Measure the Variation of the Proton-to-electron Mass Ratio

Abstract

Abstract Astrophysical molecular spectroscopy is an important means of searching for new physics through probing the variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio, μ. New molecular probes could provide tighter constraints on the variation of μ and better direction for theories of new physics. Here we summarize our previous paper for astronomers, highlighting the importance of accurate estimates of peak molecular abundance and temperature as well as spectral resolution and sensitivity of telescopes in different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. While none of the 11 astrophysical diatomic molecules we investigated showed enhanced sensitive rovibronic transitions at observable intensities for astrophysical environments, we have gained a better understanding of the factors that contribute to high sensitivities. From our results, CN, CP, SiN and SiC have shown the most promise of all astrophysical diatomic molecules for further investigation, with further work currently being done on CN.