Online spectroscopy of trapped short-lived radium ions

Radium ion is an ideal candidate for high precision experiments. Atomic Parity Non-Conservation (APNC) can be measured in a single trapped Ra+. This enables a precise measurement of the electroweak mixing angle (Weinberg angle) in the Standard Model of particle physics at the lowest possible momentum transfer. Ultra-narrow transitions in this system can also be exploited to realize a high stability frequency standard. As an important step towards such high precision experiments, excited-state laser spectroscopy has been performed with trapped short-lived 209-214Ra+ ions. The results on hyperfine structures, isotope shifts and lifetimes are important input for the required atomic theory, the precision of which is indispensable to extract the Weinberg angle. The experimental set up for laser cooling and trapping a single radium ion is underway.