Related papers: Performance of a 229 Thorium solid-state nuclear c…
The nucleus of 229Thorium presents a unique isomer state of very low energy and long lifetime, current estimates are around 7.8 eV and seconds to hours respectively. This nuclear transitions therefore is a promising candidate for a novel…
Quantum state-resolved spectroscopy of the low energy thorium-229 nuclear transition was recently achieved. The five allowed transitions within the electric quadrupole structure were measured to the kilohertz level in a calcium fluoride…
The 7.6-eV-isomer of Thorium-229 offers the opportunity to perform high resolution laser spectroscopy of a nuclear transition. We give a brief review of the investigations of this isomer. The nuclear resonance connecting ground state and…
Motivated by recent experimental breakthroughs toward a realization of a solid-state Thorium-229 nuclear clock, we review the technology, basic physics motivation, and limitations of the present generation of atomic clocks. We then discuss…
Optical atomic clocks$^{1,2}$ use electronic energy levels to precisely keep track of time. A clock based on nuclear energy levels promises a next-generation platform for precision metrology and fundamental physics studies. Thorium-229…
While the $^{229}$Th nuclear isomer has recently been observed and laser-excited, converting optical nuclear manipulation into a chip-scale solid-state frequency standard remains an open challenge. Here, we present a nanophotonic platform…
After nearly fifty years of searching, the vacuum ultraviolet $^{229}$Th nuclear isomeric transition has recently been directly laser excited [1,2] and measured with high spectroscopic precision [3]. Nuclear clocks based on this transition…
Solid-state $^{229}$Th nuclear clocks are set to provide new opportunities for precision metrology and fundamental physics. Taking advantage of a nuclear transition's inherent low sensitivity to its environment, orders of magnitude more…
The recent demonstration of laser excitation of the $\approx 8$ eV isomeric state of Thorium-229 is a significant step towards a nuclear clock. The low excitation energy likely results from a cancellation between electromagnetic and strong…
Thorium-229 is a unique case in nuclear physics: it presents a metastable first excited state Th-229m, just a few electronvolts above the nuclear ground state. This so-called isomer is accessible by VUV lasers, which allows transferring the…
The nucleus of the radioisotope thorium-229 (${}^{229}$Th) features an isomer with an exceptionally low excitation energy that enables direct laser manipulation of nuclear states. For this reason, it is a leading candidate for use in…
Building on recent advances of the embedded cluster approach combined with multiconfigurational theory, this work investigates the electronic states in thorium-doped CaF2 crystals. Th:CaF2 is currently establishing as a promising material…
We describe a novel approach to directly measure the energy of the narrow, low-lying isomeric state in $^{229}$Th. Since nuclear transitions are far less sensitive to environmental conditions than atomic transitions, we argue that the…
A low-energy nuclear transition in the isotope thorium-229 has been excited in thorium-doped crystals with laser light. This opens the perspective towards a highly stable and robust solid-state optical nuclear clock. The required laser…
We propose that a nuclear clock based on the Th V ion can surpass the accuracy of clocks built with other thorium ions. The Th$^{4+}$ ion has a rigid closed-shell core with zero total electron angular momentum, suppressing frequency shifts…
Given the drastic progress achieved during recent years in our knowledge on the decay and nuclear properties of the thorium isomer 229mTh, the focus of research on this potential nuclear clock transition will turn in the near future from…
Thorium-229, with its exceptionally low-energy nuclear excited state, is a key candidate for developing nuclear clocks. $^{229}$Th-doped CaF$_2$ crystals, benefiting from calcium fluoride's wide band gap, show great promise as solid-state…
The proposal for the development of a nuclear optical clock has triggered a multitude of experimental and theoretical studies. In particular the prediction of an unprecedented systematic frequency uncertainty of about $10^{-19}$ has…
The $^{229}$Th nucleus has a unique transition at only 8 eV which could be used for a novel nuclear clock. We investigate theoretically the prospects of driving this transition with vortex light beams carrying orbital angular momentum.…
Laser excitation of thorium-229 nuclei in doped wide bandgap crystals has been demonstrated recently, opening the possibility of developing ultrastable solid-state clocks and sensitive searches for new physics. We develop a quantitative…