Tunable VUV Frequency Comb for ${}^{229m}$Th Nuclear Spectroscopy

Abstract

Laser spectroscopy of the ${}^{229m}$Th nuclear clock transition is necessary for the future construction of a nuclear-based optical clock. Precision laser sources with broad spectral coverage in the vacuum ultraviolet are needed for this task. Here, we present a tunable vacuum-ultraviolet frequency comb based on cavity-enhanced seventh-harmonic generation. Its tunable spectrum covers the current uncertainty range of the ${}^{229m}$Th nuclear clock transition.

References in corpus (7)

• Measurement of the ${}^{229}$Th isomer energy with a magnetic micro-calorimeter
• Performance of a 229 Thorium solid-state nuclear clock
• Lifetime measurement of the ${}^{229}$Th nuclear isomer
• Excitation of the isomeric ^{229m}Th nuclear state via an electronic bridge process in ^{229}Th^+
• Efficient output coupling of intracavity high harmonic generation
• All-solid-state VUV frequency comb at 160 nm using multi-harmonic generation in a non-linear femtosecond enhancement cavity
• The concept of laser-based conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy for a precise energy determination of ${}^{229m}$Th