Abstract
The authors study the bandgap of ThF4 using two separate techniques. Both methods show a result in the order of electronvolts, in agreement with previous theoretical predictions. This low value open up the possibility of producing nuclear transitions with state-of-the-art lasers and potentially showcase a variety of applications, such as nuclear clocks.
Highlights
Transitions between two different states of an atomic nucleus generally involve energies of several tens of keV and above
The measured band gap is significantly larger than the 229mTh excitation energy, making ThF4 a possible candidate material for a solid-state nuclear clock based on the vacuum ultraviolet γ decay
The band gap of ThF4 was measured by two different electron spectroscopy techniques
Summary
Transitions between two different states of an atomic nucleus generally involve energies of several tens of keV and above. A value Eis = 8.28 ± 0.17 eV has been obtained more recently from spectroscopy measurements of the internal conversion electrons in neutral 229mTh [8] This value corresponds to a wavelength of 149.7 ± 3.1 nm for the radiation emitted following the magnetic-dipole transition to the ground state, which is in a range accessible by frequency upconversion of laser sources. The crystal should be able to host 229Th in regular lattice positions, in order to minimize color center defects that could interfere with the isomeric transition With these constraints, ThF4 is an ideal compound, provided that its band gap is large enough [25]
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