Laser Excitation of Thorium 229 Nucleus

In 2024, Dr. Peik’s group at PTB in Braunschweig, Germany, successfully observed the nuclear Thorium transition at 148.3821 nm for the first time. This breakthrough opens the door to nuclear optical clocks, offering numerous advantages (see attached publications).

Sirah provided a part of the laser systems used for the Thorium 229 excitation (see attached picture). We are proud to have contributed to this milestone in physics.

Description of the laser system:

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1367-2630/aced1b/meta

Laser excitation of the Thorium-229 nucleus:

https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.182501 (open access)

Courtesy of:

Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt
Bundesallee 100
38116 Braunschweig