No Arabic abstract
It is proposed to use the isomer ionic ground state $^{229m}$Th$^{4+}$ embedded in transparent crystals for precision determination of unknown neutrino parameters. Isolation from solid environment of the proposed nuclear process, along with available experimental techniques of atomic physics, has a great potentiality for further study.
A scheme of quantum electrodynamic (QED) background-free radiative emission of neutrino pair (RENP) is proposed in order to achieve precision determination of neutrino properties so far not accessible. The important point for the background rejection is the fact that the dispersion relation between wave vector along propagating direction in wave guide (and in a photonic-crystal type fiber) and frequency is modified by a discretized non-vanishing effective mass. This effective mass acts as a cutoff of allowed frequencies, and one may select the RENP photon energy region free of all macro-coherently amplified QED processes by choosing the cutoff larger than the mass of neutrinos.
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 nuclear physics driven `search and characterization phase towards a laser physics driven `consolidation and realization phase. This prepares the path towards the ultimate goal of the realization of a nuclear frequency standard, the `Nuclear Clock. This article briefly summarizes our present knowledge, focusing on recent achievements, and points to the next steps envisaged on the way towards the Nuclear Clock.
Radiative emission of neutrino pair (RENP) from atomic states is a new tool to experimentally investigate undetermined neutrino parameters such as the smallest neutrino mass, the nature of neutrino masses (Majorana vs Dirac), and their CP properties. We study effects of neutrino pair emission either from nucleus or from inner core electrons in which the zero-th component of quark or electron vector current gives rise to large coupling. Both the overall rate and the spectral shape of photon energy are given for a few cases of interesting target atoms. Calculated rates exceed those of previously considered target atoms by many orders of magnitudes.
A new scheme to determine the neutrino mass matrix is proposed using atomic de-excitation between two states of a few eV energy spacing. The determination of the smallest neutrino mass of the order of 1 meV and neutrino mass type, Majorana or Dirac, becomes possible, if one can coherently excite more than 1 gram of atoms using two lasers.
A new scheme using macroscopic coherence is proposed from a theoretical point to experimentally determine the neutrino mass matrix, in particular the absolute value of neutrino masses, and the mass type, Majorana or Dirac. The proposed process is a collective, coherent Raman scattering followed by neutrino-pair emission from an excited state $|erangle$ of a long lifetime to a lower energy state $|grangle$; $gamma_0 + | erangle rightarrow gamma + sum_{ij} u_i bar{ u_j} + | grangle $ with $ u_i bar{ u_j}$ consisting of six massive neutrino-pairs. Calculated angular distribution has six $(ij)$ thresholds of massive neutrino-pair emission which show up as steps at different angles in the distribution. Angular locations of thresholds and event rates of the angular distribution make it possible to experimentally determine the smallest neutrino mass to the level of less than 1 meV (accordingly all three masses using neutrino oscillation data) , the mass ordering pattern , normal or inverted, and to distinguish whether neutrinos are of Majorana or Dirac type. Event rates of neutrino-pair emission, when the mechanism of macroscopic coherence amplification works, may become large enough for realistic experiments by carefully selecting certain types of target atoms or ions doped in crystals. The problem to be overcome is macro-coherently amplified quantum electrodynamic background of the process, $gamma_0 + | erangle rightarrow gamma +gamma_2 + gamma_3+ | grangle $, when two extra photons, $gamma_2,, gamma_3$, escape detection. We illustrate our idea using neutral Xe and trivalent Ho ion doped in dielectric crystals.