Proposal for a nuclear light source

This study considers a principal possibility of creating a nuclear light source of the vacuum ultra violet (VUV) range based on the \begin{document}$ ^{229} $\end{document}Th nucleus. This nuclear light source can help solve two main problems — excitation of the low-lying \begin{document}$ ^{229m} $\end{document}Th isomer and precision measurement of the nuclear isomeric transition energy. The thorium nuclear light source is based on the nuclei implanted in a thin dielectric film with a large bandgap. While passing an electric current through the sample, the \begin{document}$ ^{229} $\end{document}Th nuclei are excited to the low energy isomeric state \begin{document}$ 3/2^+(8.19\pm0.12 $\end{document} eV) through the process of inelastic scattering of conduction electrons. The subsequent spontaneous decay of \begin{document}$ ^{229m} $\end{document}Th is followed by the emission of γ quanta in the VUV range. The luminosity of the thorium nuclear light source is approximately \begin{document}$ 10^5 $\end{document} photons/s per 1 A of current, per 1 ng of \begin{document}$ ^{229} $\end{document}Th. The suggested scheme to obtain γ radiation from the \begin{document}$ ^{229m} $\end{document}Th isomer can be considered as a type of nuclear analogue of the optical radiation from the usual metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) junction.