Optical clock based on two-photon spectroscopy of the nuclear transition in a $^{229}$Th ion in a monochromatic field

The possibility of two-photon laser spectroscopy of the nuclear clock transition (148.38 nm) in the $^{229}$Th isotope has been investigated using an intense monochromatic laser field at twice the wavelength (296.76 nm). Our estimates show that due to the electron bridge process in the doubly ionized ion $^{229}$Th$^{2+}$ the sufficient intensity of a continuous laser field is about 10–100 kW/cm$^2$, which is within the reach of modern laser systems. This unique possibility is an result of the presence in the electronic spectrum of the ion $^{229}$Th$^{2+}$ of an exceptionally close intermediate (for the two-photon transition) energy level, forming a strong dipole ($E1$) transition with the ground state at the wavelength of 297.86 nm, which differs from the probe field wavelength (296.76 nm) by only 1.1 nm. The obtained results can be used for the practical creation of ultra-precise nuclear optical clocks based on thorium-229 ions without using vacuum ultraviolet. Moreover, we develop an alternative approach to the description of the electron bridge phenomenon in an isolated ion (atom) using the hyperfine interaction operator, that is important for the general quantum theory of an atom. In particular, this approach shows that the contribution to the electron bridge from the nuclear quadrupole moment can be comparable to the contribution from the nuclear magnetic moment.