Related papers: Gravitational photon echo
The 7.8 eV nuclear isomer transition in 229 Thorium has been suggested as an etalon transition in a new type of optical frequency standard. Here we discuss the construction of a "solid-state nuclear clock" from Thorium nuclei implanted into…
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…
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…
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…
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…
We review the ideas and concepts for a clock that is based on a radiative transition in the nucleus rather than in the electron shell. This type of clock offers advantages like an insensitivity against field-induced systematic frequency…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Einstein's theory of general relativity states that clocks at different gravitational potentials tick at different rates - an effect known as the gravitational redshift. As fundamental probes of space and time, atomic clocks have long…
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…
We study the frequency shift of photons generated by rotating gravitational sources in the framework of curvature based Extended Theories of Gravity. The discussion is developed considering the weak-field approximation. Following a…
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…
Extra-laboratory atomic clocks are necessary for a wide array of applications (e.g. satellite-based navigation and communication). Building upon existing vapor cell and laser technologies, we describe an optical atomic clock, designed…
Gravitational spectroscopy tests the coupling of gravity to matter by measuring gravitationally induced frequency shifts of quantum transitions. While modern optical clocks probe the gravitational response of electronic transitions with…
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.…
Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts that a clock at a higher gravitational potential will tick faster than an otherwise identical clock at a lower potential, an effect known as the gravitational redshift. Here we perform a…
We show that the AC-Stark shift (light-shift) is a powerful and versatile tool to control the emission of a photon-echo in the context of optical storage. As a proof-of-principle, we demonstrate that the photon-echo efficiency can be fully…
The paper considers a principal possibility of creating a nuclear light source of the vacuum ultra violet (VUV) range based on the $^{229}$Th nucleus. This nuclear light source can help to solve two main problems -- excitation of the…