A solid-state nuclear clock based on VUV absorption spectroscopy of $^{229}$Th

Pengfei Wang; Xu-Fei Yin; Hanlin Wang; Jinming Liu; Qichen Qin; Zhouzhi Tan; Chengrun Leng; Mingxuan Zhang; Zixuan Li; Wenxin Bu; Xuan Fan; Yihang Liu; Kjeld Beeks; Benedikt Gerstenecker; Sebastian Lahs; Meng Wang; Tung-Hsun Chung; Yong-Heng Huo; Yin Hang; Hanning Dai; Thorsten Schumm; Zhiqiang Zhang; Jian-Wei Pan; Yu-Ao Chen

arXiv · 2610.10056

A solid-state nuclear clock based on VUV absorption spectroscopy of $^{229}$Th

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Abstract

We demonstrate sustained operation of a solid-state thorium-229 nuclear clock using continuous-wave absorption at 148.4 nm. In a $^{229}\mathrm{Th}:\mathrm{CaF}_2$ crystal, we resolve four quadrupole components of the D center and a broader O-center resonance. Feedback on the strongest narrow component is updated approximately every 10 s and remains active throughout a 30-h record. A hydrogen-maser-referenced frequency comb measures the output. Its fractional frequency instability follows approximately $1.29\times10^{-11}(τ/\mathrm{s})^{-1/2}$ and reaches $1.24\times10^{-13}$ at $10^4$ s. A separate 6.6-h run demonstrates feedback on a second quadrupole component. These measurements connect the resolved absorption spectra with sustained nuclear-clock operation and frequency comparisons between crystal segments.

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Pengfei Wang, Xu-Fei Yin, Hanlin Wang, Jinming Liu, Qichen Qin, Zhouzhi Tan, Chengrun Leng, Mingxuan Zhang, Zixuan Li, Wenxin Bu, Xuan Fan, Yihang Liu, Kjeld Beeks, Benedikt Gerstenecker, Sebastian Lahs, Meng Wang, Tung-Hsun Chung, Yong-Heng Huo, Yin Hang, Hanning Dai, Thorsten Schumm, Zhiqiang Zhang, Jian-Wei Pan, Yu-Ao Chen. 2026-10-07. A solid-state nuclear clock based on VUV absorption spectroscopy of $^{229}$Th. https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.10056

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