Great for energy production: here, here and a five minute video here
Now also, it may be great for timekeeping - from Nature:
Direct detection of the 229Th nuclear clock transition
Today’s most precise time and frequency measurements are performed with optical atomic clocks. However, it has been proposed that they could potentially be outperformed by a nuclear clock, which employs a nuclear transition instead of an atomic shell transition. There is only one known nuclear state that could serve as a nuclear clock using currently available technology, namely, the isomeric first excited state of 229Th (denoted 229mTh). Here we report the direct detection of this nuclear state, which is further confirmation of the existence of the isomer and lays the foundation for precise studies of its decay parameters. On the basis of this direct detection, the isomeric energy is constrained to between 6.3 and 18.3 electron volts, and the half-life is found to be longer than 60 seconds for 229m Th2+. More precise determinations appear to be within reach, and would pave the way to the development of a nuclear frequency standard.
So the upshot is that clocks are going to get a lot more precise. Using the outer shell for timekeeping means that you are using the electrons in the outer orbits of the atom. These are disturbed by external magnetic and electrical fields so shielding is required for any level of accuracy. Using the nucleus means that shielding requirements are greatly reduced. Should be interesting to see what shakes out over the next ten years...
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