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Register a new userX-ray pumping of the Th-229 nuclear clock isomer
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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 amazing precision of atomic laser spectroscopy to nuclear physics. Being able to manipulate the Th-229 nuclear states at will opens up a multitude of prospects, from studies of the fundamental interactions in physics to applications as a compact and robust nuclear clock. However, direct optical excitation of the isomer or its radiative decay back to the ground state has not yet been observed, and a series of key nuclear structure parameters such as the exact energies and half-lives of the low-lying nuclear levels of Th-229 are yet unknown. Here we present the first active optical pumping into Th-229m. Our scheme employs narrow-band 29 keV synchrotron radiation to resonantly excite the second excited state, which then predominantly decays into the isomer. We determine the resonance energy with 0.07 eV accuracy, measure a half-life of 82.2 ps, an excitation linewidth of 1.70 neV, and extract the branching ratio of the second excited state into the ground and isomeric state respectively. These measurements allow us to re-evaluate gamma spectroscopy data that have been collected over 40~years.
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The low-lying isomeric state of $^{229}$Th provides unique opportunities for high-resolution laser spectroscopy of the atomic nucleus. We determine the energy of this isomeric state by taking the absolute energy difference between the excitation energy required to populate the 29.2-keV state from the ground-state and the energy emitted in its decay to the isomeric excited state. A transition-edge sensor microcalorimeter was used to measure the absolute energy of the 29.2-keV $gamma$-ray. Together with the cross-band transition energy (29.2 keV$to$ground) and the branching ratio of the 29.2-keV state measured in a recent study, the isomer energy was determined to be 8.30$pm$0.92 eV. Our result is in agreement with latest measurements based on different experimental techniques, which further confirms that the isomeric state of $^{229}$Th is in the laser-accessible vacuum ultraviolet range.
A new approach to observe the radiative decay of the $^{229}$Th nuclear isomer, and to determine its energy and radiative lifetime, is presented. Situated at a uniquely low excitation energy, this nuclear state might be a key ingredient for the development of a nuclear clock, a nuclear laser and the search for time variations of the fundamental constants. The isomers $gamma$ decay towards the ground state will be studied with a high-resolution VUV spectrometer after its production by the $beta$ decay of $^{229}$Ac. The novel production method presents a number of advantages asserting its competitive nature with respect to the commonly used $^{233}$U $alpha$-decay recoil source. In this paper, a feasibility analysis of this new concept, and an experimental investigation of its key ingredients, using a pure $^{229}$Ac ion beam produced at the ISOLDE radioactive beam facility, is reported.
Radioactive $^{233}$U alpha recoil sources are being considered for the production of a thorium ion source to study the low-energy isomer in $^{229}$Th with high-resolution collinear laser spectroscopy at the IGISOL facility of the University of Jyvaskyla. In this work two different $^{233}$U sources have been characterized via alpha and gamma spectroscopy of the decay radiation obtained directly from the sources and from alpha-recoils embedded in implantation foils. These measurements revealed rather low $^{229}$Th recoil efficiencies of only a few percent. Although the low efficiency of one of the two sources can be attributed to its inherent thickness, the low recoil efficiency of the second, thinner source, was unexpected. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) was performed to investigate the elemental composition as a function of depth revealing a contamination layer on top of the thin source. The combination of spectroscopic methods proves to be a useful approach in the assessment of alpha recoil source performance in general.
We perform coincidence measurements between $alpha$ particles and $gamma$ rays from a $^{233}$U source to determine the half-lives of the excited state in a $^{229}$Th nucleus. We first prove that the half-lives of 42.43- and 164.53-keV states are consistent with literature values, whereas that of the 97.14-keV state (93(7) ps) deviates from a previously measured value (147(12) ps). The half-lives of 71.83- and 163.25-keV states are determined for the first time. Based on the obtained half-lives and the Alaga rule, we estimate the radiative half-life of the low-energy isomeric state ($^{229m}$Th) to be $5.0(11)times10^{3}$ s, which is one of the key parameters for the frequency standard based on $^{229}$Th.
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.
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