Optical Excitation and Trapping of ^{81}Kr

Area of Science:

• Atomic Physics
• Nuclear Physics
• Geochronology

Background:

• Radiokrypton dating is a valuable geochronological tool.
• Previous methods for detecting rare isotopes like krypton-81 (⁸¹Kr) faced limitations in precision and sample size.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, all-optical method for the excitation, trapping, and detection of the rare radioisotope ⁸¹Kr.
• To overcome the limitations of existing radiokrypton dating techniques.
• To enable new applications in earth sciences, particularly for dating polar ice cores.

Main Methods:

• Optical excitation using 124 nm light generated by a resonant discharge lamp.
• Simulation and optimization of photon transport within the krypton gas lamp.
• All-optical trapping and detection of ⁸¹Kr atoms at an isotopic abundance of 0.9 ppt.

Main Results:

• Achieved a state-of-the-art ⁸¹Kr loading rate of 1800 atoms/h.
• Demonstrated scalability by the potential to add more lamps.
• Successfully realized optical excitation, trapping, and detection of ⁸¹Kr.

Conclusions:

• The all-optical approach significantly enhances precision and sample size capabilities for radiokrypton dating.
• This method paves the way for advanced applications in earth sciences.
• Polar ice core dating is a key area expected to benefit from this new technique.