Scientists from LMU have made significant progress in the development of nuclear watches, which could pave the way for advancements in the study of fundamental forces in the universe. Atomic clocks are already highly accurate, losing or adding less than a second in 30 billion years. However, nuclear clocks have the potential to achieve even greater precision. Professor Peter Tyrolf, an expert in nuclear clocks, stated, “We are talking about the forces that hold the world together.”
Professor Tyrolf and Dr. Sandro Kraemier have made a significant contribution to the development of the first nuclear clock by successfully determining the energy of the thorium-229 excitation. Thorium-229 is expected to be used as a time measurement element in nuclear watches. The torium-229 nucleus is unique in its ability to be excited by a comparatively low frequency of light, which can be generated using UV lasers. This research has been ongoing for 40 years, and in 2016, the Tyrolf group confirmed the excited state of the thorium-229 nucleus.
The main difference between nuclear watches and atomic clocks lies in the forces they measure. Nuclear watches are capable of registering forces within the atomic nucleus, unlike atomic clocks. Among all known nuclear nuclei, only the thorium-229 core is suitable for this purpose.
The next stage of the scientists’ work involves improving the synchronization between the time measurement element and the watch mechanism. They liken this adjustment to tuning a musical instrument to match the frequency of a tuning fork. To determine the required frequency, researchers used the Frequency Combat Combus method, developed by Professor Theodore Hensh, a colleague of Tyrolf at LMU and Nobel laureate in 2005 for his work in this area.
Once the desired frequency is determined, the next step is to create excitation using a laser and then search for the frequency with increasing accuracy using more precise lasers. Successful development of nuclear watches could have practical applications, such as detecting small changes in the Earth’s gravitational field that occur before tectonic plate shifts or volcanic eruptions. The first prototypes of nuclear watches may appear within the next decade, with the potential for a one-second reduction in 2030.