We are extremely pleased to announce that together with JILA we have built the first ultra precise nuclear clock.
After embedding a thorium-229 nucleus in calcium fluoride crystals we were then able to excite the nucleus using vacuum ultraviolet light from a laser we custom-designed and built. The team used a specially designed ultraviolet laser to precisely measure the frequency of an energy jump in thorium nuclei embedded in a solid crystal. They also employed an optical frequency comb, which acts like an extremely accurate light ruler, to count the number of ultraviolet wave cycles that create this energy jump. While this laboratory demonstration is not a fully developed nuclear clock, it contains all the core technology for one.
Beyond everyday technology, nuclear clocks could improve tests of fundamental theories for how the universe works, potentially leading to new discoveries in physics. They could help detect dark matter or verify if the constants of nature are truly constant, allowing for verification of theories in particle physics without the need for large-scale particle accelerator facilities.
Read more in natures cover story.
Physics.org: Major leap for nuclear clock paves way for ultraprecise timekeeping
Futurezone: TU Wien präsentiert die erste Atomkernuhr der Welt
ORF: Wiener Physiker bauen erste Atomkernuhr
STANDARD: Erstmals Thorium-Atomkern-Uhr realisiert