Measurement of photo- and radio-luminescence of thin ThF4 films

Abstract

We conducted measurements on the photo- and radio-luminescence of thin ThF${}_4$ films in both the UV and visible ranges. In the UV range, we found that both luminescences are at a similar level as the internal dark counting noise of the photo-multiplier-tube (PMT). Our results suggest that thin ThF${}_4$ crystals could be used as a target for the search for ${}^{229m}$Th and as a medium for the future nuclear clock. The measurements indicate that using a small and thin ThF${}_4$ film can reduce background noise while maintaining the signal at the same level, achieved by increasing the ${}^{229}$Th enrichment. Our developed apparatus is now ready for direct measurements of ${}^{229m}$Th excitation and decay in ThF${}_4$.

30 pages, 19 figures

References in corpus (5)

• Direct detection of the 229Th nuclear clock transition
• Observation of the radiative decay of the ${}^{229}\mathrm{Th}$ nuclear clock isomer
• Proposal for a Nuclear Gamma-Ray Laser of Optical Range
• Lifetime measurement of the ${}^{229}$Th nuclear isomer
• Laser excitation of the ${}^{229}$Th nuclear isomeric transition in a solid-state host

Cited by in corpus (1)

• ${}^{229}{\mathrm{ThF}}_4$ thin films for solid-state nuclear clocks