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Fundamental Constants: Improving Our Knowledge on the 229m Thorium Isomer: Toward a Test Bench for Time Variations of Fundamental Constants (Ann. Phys. 5/2019)
Author(s) -
Thirolf Peter G.,
Seiferle Benedict,
der Wense Lars
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
annalen der physik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1521-3889
pISSN - 0003-3804
DOI - 10.1002/andp.201970022
Subject(s) - physics , excited state , thorium , sensitivity (control systems) , test bench , nuclear physics , atomic physics , computer science , engineering , electronic engineering , uranium , embedded system
In article number 1800381, Peter G. Thirolf and co‐workers discuss the introduction of the low‐energy, isomeric first excited state of 229 Th as a candidate for an ultra‐precise nuclear frequency standard. Various applications for such a ‘nuclear clock’ are given, from improved accuracy of satellite‐based navigation to chronometric geodesy, dark matter search or an enhanced sensitivity for temporal variations of fundamental constants. Recent achievements towards exploiting 229m Th as test bench for fundamental physics are reviewed.