Related papers: Prospects for a Solid-State Nuclear Clock
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…
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 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…
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…
The low-energy, long-lived isomer in $^{229}$Th, first studied in the 1970s as an exotic feature in nuclear physics, continues to inspire a multidisciplinary community of physicists. Using the nuclear resonance frequency, determined by the…
Solid-state $^{229}$Th nuclear clocks require a host material whose band gap is larger than the 8.4 eV nuclear transition energy. As such, excitation of the $^{229}$Th nuclear state has so far only been demonstrated in metal fluorides,…
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…
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…
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 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…
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…
An overview over the current status of the development of a nuclear clock based on the state of lowest known nuclear excitation energy in $^{229}$Th is presented. The text is especially written for the interested reader without any…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
Clocks based on nuclear isomer transitions promise exceptional stability and precision. The low transition energy of the thorium-229 isomer makes it an ideal candidate, as it has been excited by a vacuum-ultraviolet laser and is highly…
The first nuclear excited state of $^{229}$Th offers the unique opportunity for laser-based optical control of a nucleus. Its exceptional properties allow for the development of a nuclear optical clock which offers a complementary…
Today's most precise time and frequency measurements are performed with optical atomic clocks. However, it has been proposed that they could potentially be outperformed by a nuclear clock, which employs a nuclear transition instead of the…