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arXiv:1706.00174 · Applied Physics Express

All-polarization-maintaining, single-port Er:fiber comb for high-stability comparison of optical lattice clocks

Noriaki Ohmae, Naoya Kuse, Martin E. Fermann, Hidetoshi Katori

Published May 26, 2017• 39 citations

Abstract

All-polarization-maintaining, single-port Er:fiber combs offer long-term robust operation as well as high stability. We have built two such combs and evaluated the transfer noise for linking optical clocks. A uniformly broadened spectrum over 135–285 THz with a high signal-to-noise ratio enables the optical frequency measurement of the subharmonics of strontium, ytterbium, and mercury optical lattice clocks with the fractional frequency-noise power spectral density of (1–2) × 10 −17 Hz −1/2 at 1 Hz. By applying a synchronous clock comparison, the comb enables clock ratio measurements with 10 −17 instability at 1 s, which is one order of magnitude smaller than the best instability of the frequency ratio of optical lattice clocks.

DOI: 10.7567/apex.10.062503

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All-polarization-maintaining, single-port Er:fiber combs offer long-term robust operation as well as high stability. We have built two such combs and evaluated the transfer noise for linking optical clocks. A uniformly broadened spectrum over 135–285 THz with a high signal-to-noise ratio enables the optical frequency measurement of the subharmonics of strontium, ytterbium, and mercury optical lattice clocks with the fractional frequency-noise power spectral density of (1–2) × 10 −17 Hz −1/2 at 1 Hz. By applying a synchronous clock comparison, the comb enables clock ratio measurements with 10 −17 instability at 1 s, which is one order of magnitude smaller than the best instability of the frequency ratio of optical lattice clocks.

We demonstrate a 30-km-long optical fiber link for frequency comparison between two strontium optical lattice clocks being developed at Riken and the University of Tokyo. We use a transfer laser at 1397 nm which is twice the wavelength of the clock transition of strontium clocks. The link stability is estimated to be 1×1017for an averaging time τ = 1 s, which is in good agreement with the theoretical limit calculated from the fiber noise spectrum. We discuss a remote clock comparison with stability of 10 (τ/s) by synchronously operating the two distant clocks.

Abstract Two 87Sr optical lattice clocks (OLCs) are being developed and operated at the National Institute of Metrology (NIM), located on different campuses that are 40 km apart. In order to compare the optical frequencies of these two Sr OLCs, a 58-km noise canceled fiber link is built to transfer both a 1542-nm transfer laser and a microwave reference from Changping campus to Hepingli campus. Two commercial optical frequency combs (OFCs) with adapted single-branch 698/1542 nm outputs coherently unite the two 698-nm clock lasers and the 1542-nm transfer laser. The fractional instability of the comparison yields 3.1 × 10−17 at 10000 s averaging time. The measured fractional frequency difference between these two Sr OLCs was evaluated to be 1.9(3.2) × 10−17, which is within their claimed uncertainties. This result demonstrates the consistency of their frequencies when they serve as optical frequency standards. Our remote comparison demonstrates the feasibility of optical clock comparison through a long-distance fiber link and contributes to the progress of redefinition of the SI second.

We report high-precision frequency ratio measurements between optical atomic clocks based on ^{27}Al^{+}, ^{171}Yb, and ^{87}Sr. With total fractional uncertainties at or below 3.2×10^{-18}, these measurements meet an important milestone criterion for redefinition of the second in the International System of Units. Discrepancies in ^{87}Sr ratios at approximately 1×10^{-16} and the Al^{+}/Yb ratio at 1.6×10^{-17} in fractional units compared to our previous measurements underscore the importance of repeated, high-precision comparisons by different laboratories. A key upgrade from our previous work is the use of a common ultrastable reference delivered to all clocks via a 3.6-km phase-stabilized fiber link between two institutions, enabling better accuracy and stability in frequency transfer. Derived from a cryogenic single-crystal silicon cavity, this reference improves comparison stability by a factor of 2-3 over previous systems, with an optical lattice clock ratio achieving a fractional instability of 1.3×10^{-16} at 1 s. Identifying individual clock stabilities with a three-corner-hat measurement, we demonstrate the most stable optical lattice and trapped-ion clocks used in a multispecies comparison. By enabling faster comparisons, this stability will improve sensitivity to nonwhite noise processes and other underlying limits of state-of-the-art optical frequency standards.