Hannover 2013 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 58: Precision measurements and metrology V
Q 58.4: Vortrag
Freitag, 22. März 2013, 11:45–12:00, E 001
Coherence-Enhanced Optical Determination of the 229Th Isomeric Transition — •Sumanta Das, Wen-Te Liao, Christoph H. Keitel, and Adriana Pálffy — Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg
The 7.8 eV isomeric transition in 229Th [1] is a promising candidate for next generation frequency standards. The advantages of this nuclear transition are its very narrow width, the stability with respect to external perturbations and an accessible frequency within the VUV region. However, a direct measurement of the transition energy has not yet been possible, due to the weak fluorescence signal and the lack of an unmistakable signature for the nuclear excitation.
Here we investigate the effect of coherent light propagation on the excitation and fluorescence signal of the isomeric transition [2]. The transient superradiant behaviour for the nuclear fluorescence in a crystal lattice environment in the forward direction can be exploited to enhance the signal and reduce data collecting time. Furthermore, we put forward a quantum optics scheme based on quantum interference induced by two coherent fields coupling three nuclear levels as a novel way to identify the isomeric transition energy [2]. The proposed setup provides a clear signature for the nuclear excitation and an enhanced precision in the optical determination of the transition frequency compared to a direct fluorescence experiment using only one field.
[1] B. R. Beck et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 142501 (2007).
[2] W.-T. Liao, S. Das, C. H. Keitel and A. Pálffy, Phys. Rev. Lett., in press (2012).