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

The nucleus Th-229 possesses a unique low-energy transition accessible with laser light that opens the perspective to realize a highly precise optical nuclear clock. In the first funding period we have determined important properties of the excited nuclear state and the electronic structure of Th ions. In the future, we will investigate direct laser excitation of the nucleus with trapped Th ions. The transition is expected to be largely insensitive to external perturbations while offering an unprecedented sensitivity for searches for new physics, when probed in frequency comparisons with other optical atomic clocks in B02, B03, and B05. It thus contributes to tests of fundamental physics in DQ-mat.

• 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