Mitigating radioactivity in a university laboratory for laser cooling radium-226 containing molecules

Radioactive molecules containing octupole-deformed radium (Ra) nuclei are predicted to amplify the parity (P) and time-reversal (T) symmetry-violating nuclear Schiff moment by more than six orders of magnitude compared to spherical nuclei in atoms. Ultra-sensitive measurements with ²²⁵Ra (τ_1/2 = 15d) containing molecules begin with the less radioactive isotope, ²²⁶Ra (τ_1/2 = 1600yr). This enables rapid prototyping in university laboratories with cryogenic buffer gas beams (T ~ 2K), an essential tool for spectroscopy, laser cooling, and optical trapping of molecules. We are currently building an experiment to laser cool beams of ²²⁶RaF and ²²⁶RaOH, produced by laser ablation of ~10-100 uCi samples of ²²⁶Ra. In this talk, we present our experimental strategies for overcoming our primary radioactivity hazards: radium contamination and radon production. Our protocols leverage charcoal filters, cryopumping, negative pressure containment, and a dedicated exhaust. We also identify a pathway toward handling ~1 mCi samples of radium in a university lab-scale environment. Our work will enable laser cooling and trapping of ²²⁶Ra-containing molecules, a key step toward nuclear Schiff moment measurements with ²²⁵Ra-containing molecules at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB).