Independent Validation of Octupole Collectivity in radium-224 through lifetime measurements of low-lying negative-parity states
The nucleus $^{224}$Ra is a key benchmark for octupole deformation and for theoretical descriptions of enhanced Schiff moments in reflection-asymmetric nuclei. While Coulomb-excitation measurements have established strong octupole collectivity in $^{224}$Ra, theoretical models predict that its intrinsic electric-dipole moment should be strongly quenched by a cancellation between macroscopic and microscopic contributions. Direct fast-timing measurements of the low-lying $J^\pi = 1^-_1$ and $3^-_1$ states populated following the $\beta$-decay of $^{224}$Fr at TRIUMF-ISAC were performed. Using the LaBr$_3$(Ce) detectors of the GRIFFIN array, mean lifetimes of $\tau(1^-_1) = 444(6)$~ps and $\tau(3^-_1) = 460(18)$~ps were obtained. The corresponding reduced transition probabilities agree with values inferred from Coulomb excitation, but are determined with substantially improved precision. These results provide an independent validation of the electromagnetic matrix elements associated with octupole collectivity in $^{224}$Ra and confirm a strongly-quenched intrinsic dipole moment of $D_0 \simeq 0.032~e\mathrm{fm}$. The present measurements therefore provide a stringent experimental benchmark for nuclear-structure models used in the interpretation of Schiff moments and future searches for non-zero electric dipole moments.