Coherent excitation of a nucleus (B04)

• Subject Area: Optics, Quantum Optics and Physics of Atoms, Molecules and Plasmas
• Term: since 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 274200144

Subject of the project is the study of the Th-229 nucleus with its low-energy isomer at 8.3 eV energy. This system has inspired a novel field for experiments at the interface of atomic and nuclear physics. The low energy makes the Th-229 isomer accessible to resonant laser excitation that can be studied with laser-cooled trapped ions or with thorium as a dopant in a transparent solid. The nuclear resonance can be used as the reference for an optical clock of very high accuracy. Frequency comparisons between such a nuclear clock and conventional atomic clocks based on resonances in the electron shell will provide strong sensitivity to effects of new physics beyond the standard model.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1227: Designed Quantum States of Matter (DQ-mat) - generation, manipulation, and detection for metrological applications and tests of fundamental physics
• Applicant Institution: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover
• Project Head: Privatdozent Dr. Ekkehard Peik