A1 Journal article (refereed)
Alternative approach to populate and study the 229Th nuclear clock isomer (2019)

Verlinde, M., Kraemer, S., Moens, J., Chrysalidis, K., Correia, J. G., Cottenier, S., De Witte, H., Fedorov, D. V., Fedosseev, V. N., Ferrer, R., Fraile, L. M., Geldhof, S., Granados, C. A., Laatiaoui, M., Lima, T. A. L., Lin, P.-C., Manea, V., Marsh, B. A., Moore, I., . . . Wilkins, S. G. (2019). Alternative approach to populate and study the 229Th nuclear clock isomer. Physical Review C, 100(2), Article 024315. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.100.024315

JYU authors or editors

Geldhof, Sarina
Moore, Iain

Publication details

All authors or editors: Verlinde, M.; Kraemer, S.; Moens, J.; Chrysalidis, K.; Correia, J. G.; Cottenier, S.; De Witte, H.; Fedorov, D. V.; Fedosseev, V. N.; Ferrer, R.; et al.

Journal or series: Physical Review C

ISSN: 2469-9985

eISSN: 2469-9993

Publication year: 2019

Volume: 100

Issue number: 2

Article number: 024315

Publisher: American Physical Society

Publication country: United States

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.100.024315

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/65291

Web address of parallel published publication (pre-print): https://arxiv.org/abs/1904.10245

Abstract

A new approach to observe the radiative decay of the 229Th nuclear isomer, and to determine its energy
and radiative lifetime, is presented. Situated at a uniquely low excitation energy, this nuclear state might be
a key ingredient for the development of a nuclear clock or a nuclear laser and, the search for time variations
of fundamental constants like the fine structure constant. The isomer’s γ decay towards the ground state will
be studied with a high-resolution vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) spectrometer after its production by the β decay
of 229Ac. The novel production method presents a number of advantages asserting its competitive nature with
respect to the commonly used 233U α-decay recoil source. In this paper, a feasibility analysis of this new concept,
and an experimental investigation of its key ingredients, using a pure 229Ac ion beam produced at the ISOLDE
radioactive beam facility, is reported.

Keywords: nuclear physics

Free keywords: beta decay; isomer decays; nuclear structure and decays

Fields of science: