A breakthrough in nuclear spectroscopy could lead to the development of the most accurate atomic clock ever, enabling advances in deep space navigation and communication. Physicists at UCLA, led by Professor Eric Hudson, have successfully excited the neutrons in a thorium atom’s nucleus using a moderate amount of laser light, a feat that has been attempted for nearly 50 years.
By embedding a thorium atom within a highly transparent crystal and bombarding it with lasers, Hudson’s group was able to get the nucleus of the thorium atom to absorb and emit photons like electrons in an atom do. This achievement could allow scientists to measure precisely whether the fundamental constants of nature are truly constant or merely appear to be so due to limited measurement precision. The new technology could find uses wherever extreme precision in timekeeping is required, such as in sensing, communications, and navigation, and could potentially rewrite some of the most basic laws of nature.
Unlocking the Secrets of Nature: A Breakthrough in Nuclear Spectroscopy
The recent achievement in nuclear spectroscopy by a team led by Eric Hudson, professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA, has opened up new possibilities for measuring fundamental constants with unprecedented accuracy. By exciting the neutrons in a thorium atom’s nucleus using a moderate amount of laser light, the researchers have overcome a decades-long challenge that could lead to the development of the most accurate atomic clocks ever created.
Overcoming the Electron Barrier
The key to this breakthrough lies in finding a way to raise the energy state of an atom’s nucleus using a laser. However, electrons surrounding the nucleus react easily with light, increasing the amount of light needed to reach the nucleus. To overcome this hurdle, the UCLA team embedded thorium-229 atoms within a highly transparent crystal rich in fluorine. The strong bonds between fluorine and other atoms suspended the atoms, exposing the nucleus and allowing lower energy light to reach it.
Measuring Nuclear Transitions with Unprecedented Accuracy
By changing the energy of the photons and monitoring the rate at which the nuclei are excited, the team was able to measure the energy of the nuclear excited state. This achievement marks a significant milestone in nuclear spectroscopy, enabling researchers to drive nuclear transitions like never before. The ability to talk to the nucleus with light has far-reaching implications for precision measurement and our understanding of the universe.
Applications in Timekeeping, Sensing, and Navigation
The new technology could find uses wherever extreme precision in timekeeping is required. Existing atomic clocks based on electrons are room-sized contraptions that require vacuum chambers to trap atoms and equipment associated with cooling. In contrast, a thorium-based nuclear clock would be much smaller, more robust, more portable, and more accurate. This could have significant impacts on technologies such as cell phones and GPS.
Unveiling the Universe’s Biggest Mysteries
Beyond commercial applications, the new nuclear spectroscopy could pull back the curtains on some of the universe’s biggest mysteries. Sensitive measurement of an atom’s nucleus opens up a new way to learn about its properties and interactions with energy and the environment. This, in turn, will let scientists test some of their most fundamental ideas about matter, energy, and the laws of space and time.
The Potential for Surprises
As Hudson noted, humans exist at scales either far too small or far too large to observe what might really be going on in the universe. Our current understanding of the constants of nature is based on observations from our limited perspective. However, if we could observe more precisely, these constants might actually vary. The research has taken a big step toward these measurements, and it is likely that scientists will be surprised at what they learn.
The funding for this research was provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation, which has long recognized the importance of precise measurements in advancing our understanding of the universe and driving technological innovation. As Denise Caldwell, acting assistant director of NSF’s Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, noted, “This nucleus-based technique could one day allow scientists to measure some fundamental constants so precisely that we might have to stop calling them ‘constant.’”
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