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Project

A laser spectroscopy study of the low lying isomer, 229mTh

The low-lying isomer in the Th-229 isotope has eluded physicists for the past decades and received a boost when its existence was proven in 2016. Its low excitation energy around 8 eV presents the only candidate in the entire known nuclear landscape where transportation of laser spectroscopy techniques from the atomic domain to the nuclear one becomes possible. In case this is successful, it opens the door for the development of the first nuclear clock, which is expected to at least equal the accuracy of the best present-day atomic clocks, and maybe even surpass them. Before this application can be developed, however, the recent proof of existence should be complemented with a full characterization of this nuclear state, with the final focus on the direct determination of the radiative excitation energy and lifetime. To aid in this project, the in-gas-jet laser ionization and spectroscopy technique (IGLIS) at KU Leuven is being transformed to a production source for nearly-pure Th-229 ion beams. These ion beams will be used later on in high precision experiments aimed at direct detection of the radiative transition between ground and isomeric state, by providing them with contaminant-free conditions. This thesis describes the work towards this goal in the final commissioning of the IGLIS technique at an offline laboratory, presenting a proven performance reaching initial predictions. Furthermore, a detailed feasibility study towards the production of a pure isomeric ion beam is performed and complemented with the first experiments on the isomer itself at the IGLIS laboratory.

Date:1 Sep 2016 →  18 Jan 2021
Keywords:Th-229m, Laser spectroscopy
Disciplines:Classical physics, Elementary particle and high energy physics, Other physical sciences, Applied mathematics in specific fields, Quantum physics, Nuclear physics, Condensed matter physics and nanophysics, Instructional sciences
Project type:PhD project