English

The extraction of 229Th3+ from a buffer-gas stopping cell

Instrumentation and Detectors 2017-11-01 v1 Nuclear Experiment

Abstract

In the whole landscape of atomic nuclei, 229^{229}Th is currently the only known nucleus which could allow for the development of a nuclear-based frequency standard, as it possesses an isomeric state of just 7.6 eV energy above the ground state. The 3+ charge state is of special importance in this context, as Th3+^{3+} allows for a simple laser-cooling scheme. Here we emphasize the direct extraction of triply-charged 229^{229}Th from a buffer-gas stopping cell. This finding will not only simplify any future approach of 229^{229}Th ion cooling, but is also used for thorium-beam purification and in this way provides a powerful tool for the direct identification of the 229^{229}Th isomer to ground state nuclear transition.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1710.11126,
  title  = {The extraction of 229Th3+ from a buffer-gas stopping cell},
  author = {Lars von der Wense and Benedict Seiferle and Mustapha Laatiaoui and Peter G. Thirolf},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1710.11126},
  year   = {2017}
}