High sensitivity to variation in the proton-to-electron mass ratio in O2+

Molecular vibrational transitions are prime candidates for model-independent searches for variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio. Searches for present-day variation achieve the highest sensitivity with deep molecular potentials. We identify several high-sensitivity transitions in the deeply bound O-2(+) molecular ion. These transitions are electric-dipole forbidden and have narrow linewidths. The most sensitive transitions take advantage of an accidental degeneracy between vibrational states in different electronic potentials. We suggest experimentally feasible routes to a measurement with uncertainty below current limits on present-day variation in m(p)/m(e).