X-ray-induced quenching of the $^{229}$Th clock isomer in CaF$_2$

TL;DR

This study investigates how X-ray irradiation affects the stability and lifetime of the $^{229}$Th nuclear isomer in CaF$_2$, revealing a link between quenching, temperature, and crystal defects, with a developed interpretive model.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of X-ray-induced isomer quenching in a solid-state host and introduces a model explaining the observed effects.

Findings

X-ray flux and temperature influence isomer lifetime and yield

Isomer quenching correlates with color-center dynamics

Developed a model explaining quenching and luminescence behavior

Abstract

Thorium-229 has the lowest nuclear-excited state (an isomer state) at approximately 8.356 eV, making it excitable with tabletop vacuum-ultraviolet lasers. Despite the recent success of laser excitation, the isomer quenching inside the solid-state environment remains unresolved. In this letter, we present experiments investigating X-ray-induced isomer quenching in the CaF$_2$ host, focusing on the effects of X-ray flux and temperature on the lifetime and yield of the isomer state. Our studies reveal a correlation between isomer production, isomer lifetime during irradiation, and post-irradiation afterglow of the target crystal across different temperatures, highlighting a strong relationship between isomer quenching and color-center dynamics. We developed a model to interpret the isomer quenching and the crystal's luminescence.