Optical clock based on two-photon spectroscopy of the nuclear transition in ion $^{229}$Th in a monochromatic field

TL;DR

This paper explores two-photon laser spectroscopy of the nuclear transition in $^{229}$Th ions, proposing a feasible method for ultra-precise nuclear optical clocks and analyzing the electron bridge process using hyperfine interactions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel two-photon spectroscopy approach for $^{229}$Th nuclear transition and develops a new theoretical framework for the electron bridge phenomenon.

Findings

Electron bridge process enables feasible laser intensities for spectroscopy.

Presence of a close intermediate energy level enhances transition probability.

Hyperfine interaction approach reveals significant nuclear quadrupole contributions.

Abstract

For the isotope $^{229}$Th we investigate the possibility of two-photon laser spectroscopy of the nuclear clock transition (148.38 nm) using intense monochromatic laser field at twice the wavelength (296.76 nm). Our estimates show that due to the electron bridge process in the doubly ionized ion $^{229}$Th$^{2+}$ the sufficient intensity of a continuous laser field is about 10-100 kW/cm$^2$, which is within the reach of modern laser systems. This unique possibility is an result of the presence in the electronic spectrum of the ion $^{229}$Th$^{2+}$ of an exceptionally close intermediate (for the two-photon transition) energy level, forming a strong dipole ($E1$) transition with the ground state at the wavelength of 297.86 nm, which differs from the probe field wavelength (296.76 nm) by only 1.1 nm. The obtained results can be used for the practical creation of ultra-precise nuclear optical clocks based on thorium-229 ions. Moreover, we develop an alternative approach to the description of the electron bridge phenomenon in an isolated ion (atom) using the hyperfine interaction operator, that is important for the general quantum theory of an atom. In particular, this approach shows that the contribution to the electron bridge from the nuclear quadrupole moment can be comparable to the contribution from the nuclear magnetic moment.