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arXiv:1102.4988

Radium single-ion optical clock

Oscar O. Versolato, L. W. Wansbeek, Klaus Peter Jungmann, Rob G. E. Timmermans, Lorenz Willmann, H. W. Wilschut

Published Feb 24, 2011• 0 citations
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Abstract

We explore the potential of the electric quadrupole transitions $7s\,^2S_{1/2}$ - $6d\,^2D_{3/2}$, $6d\,^2D_{5/2}$ in radium isotopes as single-ion optical frequency standards. The frequency shifts of the clock transitions due to external fields and the corresponding uncertainties are calculated. Several competitive $^A$Ra$^+$ candidates with $A=$ 223 - 229 are identified. In particular, we show that the transition $7s\,^2S_{1/2}\,(F=2,m_F=0)$ - $6d\,^2D_{3/2}\,(F=0,m_F=0)$ at 828 nm in $^{223}$Ra$^+$, with no linear Zeeman and electric quadrupole shifts, stands out as a relatively simple case, which could be exploited as a compact, robust, and low-cost atomic clock operating at a fractional frequency uncertainty of $10^{-17}$. With more experimental effort, the $^{223,225,226}$Ra$^+$ clocks could be pushed to a projected performance reaching the $10^{-18}$ level.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.1102.4988

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physics.atom-phCross-listedarXiv:2610.29980•Oct 22, 2026
We explore the potential of the electric quadrupole transitions 7s 2S1/27s\,^2S_{1/2}7s2S1/2​ - 6d 2D3/26d\,^2D_{3/2}6d2D3/2​, 6d 2D5/26d\,^2D_{5/2}6d2D5/2​ in radium isotopes as single-ion optical frequency standards. The frequency shifts of the clock transitions due to external fields and the corresponding uncertainties are calculated. Several competitive A^AARa+^++ candidates with A=A=A= 223 - 229 are identified. In particular, we show that the transition 7s 2S1/2 (F=2,mF=0)7s\,^2S_{1/2}\,(F=2,m_F=0)7s2S1/2​(F=2,mF​=0) - 6d 2D3/2 (F=0,mF=0)6d\,^2D_{3/2}\,(F=0,m_F=0)6d2D3/2​(F=0,mF​=0) at 828 nm in 223^{223}223Ra+^++, with no linear Zeeman and electric quadrupole shifts, stands out as a relatively simple case, which could be exploited as a compact, robust, and low-cost atomic clock operating at a fractional frequency uncertainty of 10−1710^{-17}10−17. With more experimental effort, the 223,225,226^{223,225,226}223,225,226Ra+^++ clocks could be pushed to a projected performance reaching the 10−1810^{-18}10−18 level.
We explore the potential of the electric quadrupole transitions 7s2S1/27s {}^{2}{S}_{1/2}7s2S1/2​-6d2D3/26d {}^{2}{D}_{3/2}6d2D3/2​, 6d2D5/26d {}^{2}{D}_{5/2}6d2D5/2​ in radium isotopes as single-ion optical frequency standards. The frequency shifts of the clock transitions due to external fields and the corresponding uncertainties are calculated. Several competitive A{}^{A}ARa+{}^{+}+ candidates, with A=A=A= 223--229, are identified. In particular, we show that the transition 7s2S1/2(F=2,mF=0)7s {}^{2}{S}_{1/2} (F=2,{m}_{F}=0)7s2S1/2​(F=2,mF​=0)-6d2D3/2(F=0,mF=0)6d {}^{2}{D}_{3/2} (F=0,{m}_{F}=0)6d2D3/2​(F=0,mF​=0) at 828 nm in 223Ra^{223}\mathrm{Ra}223Ra+{}^{+}+, with no linear Zeeman and electric quadrupole shifts, stands out as a relatively simple case, which could be exploited as a compact, robust, and low-cost atomic clock operating at a fractional frequency uncertainty of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}17}$. With more experimental effort, the 223,225,226Ra^{223,225,226}\mathrm{Ra}223,225,226Ra+{}^{+}+ clocks could be pushed to a projected performance reaching the ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}18}$ level.
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We report on spectroscopy of the low-lying electronic transitions in 224Ra+^{224}\mathrm{Ra}^{+}224Ra+. We measured the frequencies of the $^{2}S_{1/2}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}^{2}P_{1/2}$ cooling transition, the $^{2}S_{1/2}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}^{2}D_{5/2}$ clock transition, the $^{2}D_{3/2}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}^{2}P_{3/2}$ electric dipole transition, and the $^{2}D_{5/2}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}^{2}P_{3/2}$ cleanout transition. From these measurements we calculate the frequencies of the $^{2}D_{3/2}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}^{2}P_{1/2}$ repump transition, the $^{2}S_{1/2}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}^{2}D_{3/2}$ electric quadrupole transition, and the $^{2}S_{1/2}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}^{2}P_{3/2}$ electric dipole transition. The ion's low charge-to-mass ratio and convenient wavelengths make 224Ra+{}^{224}{\mathrm{Ra}}^{+}224Ra+ a promising optical clock candidate.
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The electric quadrupole shift is presently the most significant source of uncertainty on the systematic shifts for several single-ion optical frequency standards. We present a simple method for cancelling this shift based on measurements of the Zeeman spectrum of the clock transition. This method is easy to implement and yields very high cancellation levels. A fractional uncertainty of 5 x 10(-18) for the canceled quadrupole shift is estimated for a measurement of the absolute frequency of the 5s (2)S(1/2)-4d (2)D(5/2) clock transition of 88Sr+.
International atomic clock comparison achieving 5×10−185\times 10^{-18}5×10−18 uncertainty
Two single-ion optical clocks, located in the United Kingdom and in Germany, are compared remotely via a 2220\,km long optical fiber link. Both clocks are based on the 2S1/2(F=0)↔2F7/2(F=3){}^2S_{1/2} (F=0)\leftrightarrow {}^2F_{7/2} (F=3)2S1/2​(F=0)↔2F7/2​(F=3) electric octupole (E3) transition in 171Yb+^{171}\text{Yb}^+171Yb+. Using more than 10610^6106 seconds of measurement data, we determine a fractional frequency difference of 1.0(4.8)×10−181.0(4.8)\times 10^{-18}1.0(4.8)×10−18, demonstrating agreement of the independently developed systems. To our knowledge, this constitutes the first international clock comparison reaching a fractional uncertainty below 5×10−185\times 10^{-18}5×10−18, an important milestone towards an anticipated optical redefinition of the SI second. The measurement uncertainty is dominated by that of the relativistic redshift correction between the two sites, which includes time-varying gravity potential differences. We exploit the large baseline between the two clocks to search for violations of Lorentz invariance. In the absence of statistically significant modulations, we improve constraints on the Robertson-Mansouri-Sexl parameter ααα by approximately a factor of five in the uncertainty, and provide limits on corresponding parameters within the Standard-Model Extension framework.