Investigation of PbO as a system for measuring the electric dipole moment of the electron

Abstract

We point out the potential of the diatomic molecule PbO as a system in which to search for an electron electric dipole moment (EDM). Large oscillator strengths between various electronic states of PbO would be beneficial for such an experiment. As a step toward determining these oscillator strengths, we have measured a number of radiative lifetimes and branching ratios in PbO. We discuss the impact of our measurements on the proposed EDM experiment and point out the need for further experimental and theoretical work on PbO.