CRYSTALCLOCK · Readout scheme for solid-state nuclear clock
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2020-04-01 → 2022-03-31
- EU contribution
- €186,167
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Readout scheme for solid-state nuclear clock
Time measurement is a technological and commercial need. And for that, people build clocks. Improvement in time measurement goes hand in hand with technological advancements. That is because the accurately measured time can be related to other measurements, distance, gravitational field, and fundamental constants. The nuclear clock will be the next step in improving the technology for accurate measurements and metrology. The CRYSTALCLOCK project is developing a readout scheme for the Thorium nuclear clock. The readout scheme is based on nuclear quadrupole resonance spectroscopy, (NQRS). The spectroscopy will decipher the microscopic structure of the Thorium atoms in a host crystal. While conventional atomic clocks rely on the 3-level interrogation scheme where the clock transition is linked to a fast transition that serves for readout. Thorium nuclear clock provides only two accessible nuclear levels. Integrating Thorium ions into a solid-state ionic crystal introduces additional energy levels that will allow for readout using radiofrequency spectroscopy-nuclear quadrupole resonance.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The low-energy excited state of the Thorium-229 (229Th) nucleus has fascinated researchers for decades. With excitation energy of only a few eV, it is the only known nuclear isomeric state accessible to laser manipulation. This system opens up many novel applications, ranging from tests of variations of the fundamental constants to technological implementations as a nuclear clock. While the exact excitation energy of the 229Th isomer remains unknown, significant progress has been made in constraining its energy in recent months. Most importantly, all recent results place the energy between 7.5 eV to 8.5 eV. This is within the transmission band of large-band-gap VUV materials such as single fluoride crystals. It becomes hence possible to embed 229Th inside a solid-state crystal and address a large number of nuclei.This project aims to develop a readout scheme for a solid-state nuclear clock based on nuclear quadrupole resonance spectroscopy (NQRS). The interaction of the nuclear quadrupole moment with the electric field gradient of the crystal causes the splitting of the nuclear states. NQRS can be used for non-destructive readout of the nuclear state during clock operation. Moreover, the NQRS will provide valuable information about the microscopic structure of 229Th atoms doped into the crystal lattice.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIEN · WienCoordinatorAustria
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/882708
- https://www.tuwien.at/en/phy/ati/quantum-metrology/research/crystalclock
Data: CORDIS, © European Union