The clock's accuracy would be as high as one second for every 300 billion years.
from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, the discovery that caused quite a stir in scientific circles was the direct detection of thorium-229 isomer. An isomer is an atom whose nucleus is in a higher energy state. This can be achieved using light of a specific frequency.
For atomic clocks, researchers use the frequency of light used to invoke transitions in the atom as a measure of time. For , however, the frequency of light used to excite the atomic nucleus alone is used. Since the atomic nucleus is a more compact structure and has small electromagnetic moments, it is less susceptible to external interference.When the isomer goes back to its ground state, it emits a photon, a process that scientists called radiative decay, which is crucial to the measurement. However, researchers had not previously managed to measure the decay accurately.
The experiments were conducted at the ISOLDE facility at CERN where actinium-229 atoms were implanted in calcium fluoride or magnesium fluoride crystals and left to decay into thorium-229. The research team measured photons with an ultraviolet wavelength of 148 nm and transition energy of 8.338 electronvolts.
This is the most precise measurement of the isomer's energy and the accuracy has seen improvements by a factor of seven when compared to previous results, the researchers claim. A lot more work needs to be done before a nuclear clock can be built but the research shows that Thorium-229 is our best bet to building one.The radionuclide thorium-229 features an isomer with an exceptionally low excitation energy that enables direct laser manipulation of nuclear states.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
BLACKPINK's 'Don't Know What To Do' Dance Practice Video Crosses 300 Million Views | allkpopBLACKPINK continues to achieve incredible numbers on Youtube and other music platforms worldwide.The dance practice video for BLACKPINK's hit "…
Read more »
Landmarks: 300-year-old Illinois National Guard rescued Belgian kingIt took a few years, but historian Adriana Schroeder dug deep and finally came up with the birth date for the Illinois National Guard: May 9, 1723 — nearly a century before Illinois entered the Union.
Read more »
BMW introduces an electric 5 Series sedan with almost 300 miles of rangeThe new BMW i5 will come in two versions.
Read more »
Firefighters make progress containing 300-acre wildfire burning in OregonFirefighters worked overnight Saturday on containing the '7K Fire' which is burning about ten miles southwest of Veneta, Oregon.
Read more »
Yankees’ Domingo German still seeking clarity from MLB over sticky stuffGerman has maintained he only used rosin and sweat — and not a foreign substance — to get a grip.
Read more »