Registration for nuClock conference NOCAN started

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The nuClock consortium is set to organize a conference entitled NOCAN: Novel Optical Clocks in Atoms and Nuclei. The goal of the seminar is to discuss conceptually novel approaches to optical frequency standards and clocks. Despite the remarkable precision already realized in current atomic clock worldwide, there is a wide range of concepts for next-generation devices, rooted in very different physical systems. The aim of the seminar is to provide a comprehensive overview on the current state of discussion and shape a community. Also, we want to identify and discuss new applications of precision frequency and time standards, in particular regarding constraining possible variations of fundamental constants, clock-based geodesy, and gravitational wave detection.

Registration for the conference starts now: please find the webpage here, which includes a registration form and a template for submission of your abstract. We are looking forward to welcome you at the conference!

The list of already confirmed invited speakers:

Keynote talks:
· Ekkehard Peik
· Peter Thirolf
· Marianna Safronova
· Jose Ramon Crespo Lopez-Urrutia

Talks on the nuclear clock
· Koji Yoshimura
· Marcin Piotrowski
· Petr Borisyuk
· Thorsten Schumm
· Christian Enss
· Christian Schneider
· Eric Hudson
· Adriana Palffy
· Matthias Verlinde

Talks on novel approaches, applications, theory
· Julian Berengut
· Atsushi Yamaguchi
· Nils Huntemann
· Andrew Ludlow
· Michal Zawada
· Victor Flambaum
· Tanja Mehlstäubler
· Pacôme Delva
· David Champion
· Jean-Lautrier Gaud

Another five speakers for “Hot Topic Talks” will be selected from the submitted abstracts.

Theoretical work on the hyperfine structure of Th-229m

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The hyperfine interaction of the nucleus with the electron shell leads to energy shifts of electronic transitions that are easily accessible to laser spectroscopy. Now that Th-229m ions in the isomeric state became available at the LMU experiment, the PTB group performed laser spectroscopy on these ions and compared the spectra with Th-229 ions in the nuclear ground state. These measurements allowed the two teams to learn a lot about the properties of the nucleus when it’s excited to the isomeric state (see the paper here). The value of the observed nuclear magnetic dipole moment, however, disagrees massively with previous calculations: this clearly calls for a clarification on the theory side.

New calculations performed by the PTB group can reproduce the experimental values to an excellent degree and thus help to better understand the Th-229m nucleus. This work has now been published here.

Thorium research at the DPG Spring Meeting

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You want to meet the nuClock people and learn about the latest state of current research? Then head for the DPG meeting in Erlangen, which takes place March 5 – 9. Peter G. Thirolf of LMU Munich will give a plenary talk on Monday morning, and an entire session (A/Q 44) on Friday will be devoted to precision spectroscopy of nuclear systems. There will be five talks of nuClock people in this session! More information can be found here.