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arXiv:1305.5869 · Science

An Atomic Clock with 10 –18 Instability

N. Hinkley, Jeff A. Sherman, Nate Phillips, M. Schioppo, N. Lemke, K. Beloy, Marco Pizzocaro, Chris W. Oates, Andrew D. Ludlow

Published Aug 23, 2013• 817 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Atomic clocks have been instrumental in science and technology, leading to innovations such as global positioning, advanced communications, and tests of fundamental constant variation. Timekeeping precision at 1 part in 10(18) enables new timing applications in relativistic geodesy, enhanced Earth- and space-based navigation and telescopy, and new tests of physics beyond the standard model. Here, we describe the development and operation of two optical lattice clocks, both using spin-polarized, ultracold atomic ytterbium. A measurement comparing these systems demonstrates an unprecedented atomic clock instability of 1.6 × 10(-18) after only 7 hours of averaging.

DOI
10.1126/science.1240420

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•Sep 4, 2013•9 citations
Atomic clocks have been instrumental in science and technology, leading to innovations such as global positioning, advanced communications, and tests of fundamental constant variation. Timekeeping precision at 1 part in 10(18) enables new timing applications in relativistic geodesy, enhanced Earth- and space-based navigation and telescopy, and new tests of physics beyond the standard model. Here, we describe the development and operation of two optical lattice clocks, both using spin-polarized, ultracold atomic ytterbium. A measurement comparing these systems demonstrates an unprecedented atomic clock instability of 1.6 × 10(-18) after only 7 hours of averaging.
The optical atomic clocks have the potential to transform global timekeeping, relying on the state-of-the-art accuracy and stability, and greatly improve the measurement precision for a wide range of scientific and technological applications. Herein we report on the development of the optical clock based on 171Yb atoms confined in an optical lattice. A minimum width of 1.92-Hz Rabi spectra has been obtained with a new 578-nm clock interrogation laser. The in-loop fractional instability of the 171Yb clock reaches 9.1 × 10−18 after an averaging over a time of 2.0 × 104 s. By synchronous comparison between two clocks, we demonstrate that our 171Yb optical lattice clock achieves a fractional instability of 4.60 × 10 − 16 / τ .
Optical atomic clocks based on optical transitions have achieved a fractional uncertainty of 10−18, representing a two-order-of-magnitude improvement over caesium clocks. This remarkable progress has prompted ongoing discussions on redefining the SI second using optical standards. Beyond frequency metrology, such unprecedented precision enables new applications in fields ranging from relativistic geodesy to fundamental physics. To advance these possibilities, we have developed a transportable optical lattice clock and demonstrated its practical operation. In this presentation, we will outline the development of transportable optical lattice clocks and highlight their applications.
Optical atomic clocks that operate at frequencies up to 100,000 times higher than their microwave counterparts permit better resolutions and accuracies, while also providing more leeway in environmental control for out of lab applications. Many of the precision applications of these clocks, including relativistic geodesy and tests of fundamental physics rely on the intercomparison of at least two optical clocks. Relative comparisons that include single ion clocks, however, can require close to one month of continuous averaging to achieve measurement instabilities near 1 part in 1018. The long averaging times result from limits imposed on the quantum project noise as a result of signal detection from a single ion, as well as atom probe time limitations due to laser-atom decoherence. In this talk I will describe how the phase coherent properties of an optical frequency comb can be used to enable correlated and synchronous measurement of atomic clocks as a means to improve their relative measurement instability by close to a factor of 10, and nearly 100 times speed up in averaging time over conventional measurement techniques.
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Rapid progress in the precision and accuracy of optical atomic clocks over the last decade has advanced the frontiers of timekeeping, metrology, and quantum science. However, the stabilities of most optical clocks remain limited by the local oscillator rather than the atoms themselves, leaving room for further progress. Here we implement a "multiplexed" one-dimensional optical lattice clock, in which spatially-resolved, movable ensembles of ultra-cold strontium atoms are trapped in the same optical lattice, interrogated simultaneously by a shared clock laser, and read-out in parallel. By performing synchronized Ramsey interrogations of ensemble pairs we observe atom-atom coherence times up to 26 seconds, a 270-fold improvement over the atom-laser coherence time, demonstrate a relative stability of 9.7(4)×10−18/τ9.7(4)\times10^{-18}/\sqrtτ9.7(4)×10−18/τ​ (where τττ is the averaging time in seconds), and reach a fractional uncertainty of 8.9(3)×10−208.9(3)\times 10^{-20}8.9(3)×10−20 after 3.3 hours of averaging. These results demonstrate that applications requiring ultra-high-precision comparisons between optical atomic clocks need not be limited by the stability of the local oscillator. With multiple ensemble pairs, we realize a miniaturized clock network consisting of 6 atom ensembles, resulting in 15 unique pairwise clock comparisons with relative stabilities below 3×10−17/τ3\times10^{-17}/\sqrtτ3×10−17/τ​. Finally, we demonstrate the capability to simultaneously load spatially-resolved, heterogeneous ensemble pairs of all four stable isotopes of strontium in a lattice. The unique capabilities offered by this platform pave the way for future studies of precision isotope shift measurements, spatially resolved characterization of limiting clock systematics, development of clock-based gravitational wave and dark matter detectors, and novel tests of relativity including measurements of the gravitational redshift at sub-centimeter scales.
The exquisite control exhibited over quantum states of individual particles has revolutionized the field of precision measurement, as exemplified by the most accurate atomic clock realized in single trapped ions. Whereas many-atom lattice clocks have shown advantages in measurement precision over trapped-ion clocks, their accuracy has remained 20 times worse. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, that a many-atom system achieves accuracy (6x10^{-18}) better than a single ion-based clock, with vastly reduced averaging times (3000 s). This is the first time a single clock has achieved the best performance in all three key ingredients necessary for consideration as a primary standard - stability, reproducibility, and accuracy. This work paves the way for future experiments to integrate many-body quantum state engineering into the frontiers of quantum metrology, creating exciting opportunities to advance precision beyond the standard quantum limit. Improved frequency standards will have impact to a wide range of fields from the realization of the SI units, the development of quantum sensors, to precision tests of the fundamental laws of nature.