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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 22: Nuclear and X-Ray Quantum Optics
Q 22.2: Talk
Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 11:30–11:45, P 11
Nuclear excitation in 229Th using paraxial light fields — •Tobias Kirschbaum, Janek Bergmeier, Alexander Franz, and Adriana Pálffy — Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany
The paraxial wave equation (PWE) provides a variety of solutions depending on the specific geometry such as Laguerre Gaussian (cylindrical) and Hermite Gaussian modes (cartesian). Among others, these modes are characterized by their spatially inhomogeneous intensity profiles which render them attractive to atomic physics applications. For instance, such beams can be used in quantum metrology to minimize the unwanted light shift in atomic clock transitions [1, 2]. A compelling alternative for these atomic clocks is the 229Th nucleus which has a long-lived first excited state at ≈ 8.4 eV [3]. It is thus intriguing to investigate the interaction of thorium with different paraxial light fields.
In a first step, we have investigated the interaction of 229Th with non-paraxial and spatially inhomogeneous Bessel modes [4]. Here, we build upon that work by considering paraxial light fields which are also spatially inhomogeneous. We thereby address the temporal and spatial dynamics for 229Th in solid-state and ion targets using solutions of the PWE in cylindrical, cartesian, and elliptical coordinates.
[1] R. Lange et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 253901 (2022).
[2] A. Peshkov et al., Ann. Phys. 535, 2300204 (2023).
[3] C. Zhang et al., Nature 633, 63-70 (2024).
[4] T. Kirschbaum et al., Phys. Rev. C 110, 064326 (2024).
Keywords: Nuclear clock; VUV light; Structured light