Rostock 2019 – scientific programme
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A: Fachverband Atomphysik
A 18: Precision Spectroscopy of atoms and ions V (Th 229)
A 18.2: Talk
Wednesday, March 13, 2019, 14:15–14:30, S HS 2 Physik
Excitation of 229Th in VUV-transparent crystals — •Brenden Nickerson and Adriana Pálffy — Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg, Germany
The isomeric state of 229Th near 7.8 eV holds the interest of the scientific community as a candidate for the first nuclear clock. Laser excitation of thorium-doped vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) transparent crystals could be used a means to study this interesting transition. Thorium can be doped into VUV-transparent crystals at higher densities than can be realized in an ion trap. Furthermore, this environment enforces the Mossbauer regime, allowing for recoil-free emission, absorption and collective behavior [1].
Here, we investigate collective effects in the nuclear forward scattering (NFS) regime using narrowband pulsed lasers, coincident pulses, varying pulse phases and magnetic fields to generate unique intensity spectrum [2].
Before the exact energy of the isomeric state is found, broadband excitation must be used in its search in the crystal environment. To this end, and as a prequel to NFS, we look at the opportunity to excite the nuclear transition via the initial driving of a defect state, a color center in the crystal, which then can efficiently transfer its energy to the isomer in a process reminiscent of electron bridge [3].
[1] W.-T. Liao et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 262502 (2012).
[2] B.S. Nickerson et al., Accepted to PRA, arXiv:1809.01857
[3] S.G. Porsev and V.V. Flambaum, Phys. Rev. A 81, 032504 (2010)