We are developing a solid-state optical frequency standard, based on a low-lying transition in the ²²⁹Th nucleus. Recent data indicates that this transition has the lowest energy of any known nuclear excitation, which should make it amenable to study by laser spectroscopy. Because nuclear energy levels are relatively insensitive to their environment, the complicated vacuum apparatus of current optical frequency standards can be replaced by a single crystal doped with ²²⁹Th atoms. Preliminary analysis indicates that this system should possess the highest Q-factor of any known laser-accessible transition, and thus may achieve an improvement in precision of as much as 106 over current optical frequency clocks.

For more information, see the press release, A Solid-State Optical Clock for Constraining the Constants of Nature.

See current version of the poster for latest research update.