Greg Egan on Nostr: Most nuclei require X-rays or gamma rays to raise their energy levels, but it can ...
Most nuclei require X-rays or gamma rays to raise their energy levels, but it can happen to thorium-229 with a far-ultraviolet photon of 8 eV (wavelength 150 nm).
This was predicted in the 1970s, but the precise frequency was only measured recently, and it might eventually be the basis of a vastly more accurate form of clock:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02865-w
This was predicted in the 1970s, but the precise frequency was only measured recently, and it might eventually be the basis of a vastly more accurate form of clock:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02865-w