Photoinduced quenching of the ^{229}Th isomer in a solid-state host
The population dynamics of the ^{229}Th isomeric state is studied in a solid-state host under laser illumination. A photoquenching process is observed, where off-resonant vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) radiation leads to relaxation of the isomeric state. The cross-section for this photoquenching process i...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Physical Society
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Physical Review Research |
| Online Access: | http://doi.org/10.1103/glzr-thyw |
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| Summary: | The population dynamics of the ^{229}Th isomeric state is studied in a solid-state host under laser illumination. A photoquenching process is observed, where off-resonant vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) radiation leads to relaxation of the isomeric state. The cross-section for this photoquenching process is measured, and a model for the decay process, where photoexcitation of electronic states within the material band gap opens an internal conversion decay channel, is presented and appears to reproduce the measured cross-section. By engineering defects into ^{229}Th-doped solid-state hosts, this previously unrecognized photoquenching process may be used to reduce the clock transition readout time and thereby increase the stability of the nuclear clock. |
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| ISSN: | 2643-1564 |