We perform the four-body calculation of the hyperfine structure in the first rotational state $J=1$ of the H$_2$, D$_2$, and HD molecules and determine the accurate value for the deuteron electric quadrupole moment $Q_d = 0.285\,699(15)(18)$ fm$^2$ in significant disagreement with former spectroscopic determinations. Our results for the hyperfine parameters agree very well with the currently most accurate molecular-beam magnetic resonance measurement performed several decades ago by N.F. Ramsey and coworkers. They also indicate the significance of previously neglected nonadiabatic effects. Moreover, a very good agreement with the recent calculation of $Q_d$ based on the chiral effective field theory, although much less accurate, indicates the importance of the spin dependence of nucleon interactions in the accurate description of nuclei.
Categories: physics.chem-ph nucl-th