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arXiv:2506.04320 · Physical Review Research

Precision measurement of lifetime and branching ratios of the 4 f 13 5 d 6 s 1 [ 5 / 2 ] 5 / 2 state in Yb + ions

Midhuna Duraisamy Suganthi, Visal So, Abhishek Menon, George Tomaras, Roman Zhuravel, Guido Pagano

Published Sep 23, 2025• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We report spectroscopic and time-resolved experimental observations to characterize the [ Xe ] 4 f 13 ( F 5 / 2 o 2 ) 5 d 6 s ( D 1 ) 1 [ 5 / 2 ] 5 / 2 o state in Yb + 172 ions. We access this state from the metastable 4 f 14 5 d ( D 3 / 2 , 5 / 2 2 ) manifold and observe an unexpectedly long lifetime of τ = 37.9 ( 9 ) µ s that allows visible Rabi oscillations and resolved-sideband spectroscopy. Using a combination of coherent population dynamics, high-fidelity detection and heralded state preparation, and optical pumping methods, we measure the branching ratios to the D 3 / 2 2 , D 5 / 2 2 , and S 1 / 2 2 states to be 0.359 ( 2 ) , 0.639(2), and 0.0023 ( 16 ) , respectively. The branching ratio to the 4 f 13 6 s 2 ( F 2 7 / 2 ) is compatible with zero within our experimental resolution. We also report measurements of Landé g -factor of the 1 [ 5

DOI
10.1103/mwwc-kng1

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We report spectroscopic and time-resolved experimental observations to characterize the [ Xe ] 4 f 13 ( F 5 / 2 o 2 ) 5 d 6 s ( D 1 ) 1 [ 5 / 2 ] 5 / 2 o state in Yb + 172 ions. We access this state from the metastable 4 f 14 5 d ( D 3 / 2 , 5 / 2 2 ) manifold and observe an unexpectedly long lifetime of τ = 37.9 ( 9 ) µ s that allows visible Rabi oscillations and resolved-sideband spectroscopy. Using a combination of coherent population dynamics, high-fidelity detection and heralded state preparation, and optical pumping methods, we measure the branching ratios to the D 3 / 2 2 , D 5 / 2 2 , and S 1 / 2 2 states to be 0.359 ( 2 ) , 0.639(2), and 0.0023 ( 16 ) , respectively. The branching ratio to the 4 f 13 6 s 2 ( F 2 7 / 2 ) is compatible with zero within our experimental resolution. We also report measurements of Landé g -factor of the 1 [ 5
Long-lived metastable states in the 4f$^{13}5d6sconfigurationofYb5d6s configuration of Yb5d6sconfigurationofYb^+$
We study the occurrence of long-lived metastable states in the 4f$^{13}5d6selectronconfigurationofYb5d6s electron configuration of Yb5d6selectronconfigurationofYb^+$. By optical pumping of a single trapped ion on the 2F7/2o→(7/2,0)7/2^2F^\text{o}_{7/2}\rightarrow (7/2,0)_{7/2}2F7/2o​→(7/2,0)7/2​ transition at 377.5 nm, we prepare a wide range of metastable electronic states. We use a co-trapped control ion to sympathetically cool the spectroscopy ion, allowing us to accurately time its subsequent decay. We record a strong decay signal corresponding to a lifetime of 0.92(8) s, a weaker decay signal with lifetime 9.8(+2.9, -2.0) s, and find evidence for a much longer lifetime, >>> 30 s. We identify the metastable states with these lifetimes qualitatively, and corroborate our results with atomic structure calculations that support the observed lifetimes and decay paths. These long-lived states provide new opportunities in qubit and qudit state detection and optical clocks.
Abstract We report on measurements of the lifetime of the state in single ions confined in a radiofrequency quadrupole trap. Experimental parameters that affect hyperfine state preparation and detection efficiency are characterized and optimized. A set of wait times for optimal sampling of the lifetime is chosen and used to measure that lifetime with high statistical sensitivity. A systematic variation in this lifetime seems to be apparent. The source of the variation was not identified, but ion number and cooling rate appear to be ruled out. A net determination is made of ms which is significantly longer than other measurements of the same quantity with four times better statistical precision than the most recent measurement. An alternate shelving scheme is proposed that would provide S – D state discrimination for Yb + even isotopes as well as improved sensitivity for D state hyperfine discrimination in odd isotopes.
We report on spectroscopic results on the $^{2}S_{1/2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}^{2}P_{3/2}$ transition in single trapped Yb+{\mathrm{Yb}}^{+}Yb+ ions. We measure the isotope shifts for all stable Yb+{\mathrm{Yb}}^{+}Yb+ isotopes except 173Yb+^{173}\mathrm{Yb}^{+}173Yb+, as well as the hyperfine splitting of the 2P3/2^{2}P_{3/2}2P3/2​ state in 171Yb+^{171}\mathrm{Yb}^{+}171Yb+. Our results are in agreement with previous measurements but are a factor of 5--9 more precise. For the hyperfine constant A(2P3/2)=875.4(10)MHzA(^{2}P_{3/2})=875.4(10)\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\mathrm{MHz}A(2P3/2​)=875.4(10)MHz our results also agree with previous measurements but deviate significantly from theoretical predictions. We present experimental results on the branching ratios for the decay of the 2P3/2^{2}P_{3/2}2P3/2​ state. We find branching fractions for the decay to the 2D3/2^{2}D_{3/2}2D3/2​ state and 2D5/2^{2}D_{5/2}2D5/2​ state of 0.17(1)% and 1.08(5)%, respectively, in rough agreement with theoretical predictions. Furthermore, we measured the isotope shifts of the $^{2}F_{7/2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{1}D{[5/2]}_{5/2}$ transition and determine the hyperfine structure constant for the 1D[5/2]5/2^{1}D{[5/2]}_{5/2}1D[5/2]5/2​ state in 171Yb+^{171}\mathrm{Yb}^{+}171Yb+ to be $A(^{1}D{[5/2]}_{5/2})=\ensuremath{-}107(6)\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\mathrm{MHz}$.
Resonant laser excitation of Yb ions confined in an rf ion trap is found to result in perfect population trapping in the highly metastable 2F7/2^{2}\mathrm{F}_{7/2}2F7/2​ state. The lifetime of this level is measured to be greater than 8 days. Population and depopulation of this level under narrow- and broad-band laser excitation conditions is investigated and its potentiality for ultimate-resolution laser spectroscopy indicated.
We present a method to precisely determine the 2D3/2^{2}D_{3/2}2D3/2​ state lifetime of a single trapped 174Yb+^{174}\mathrm{Yb}^{+}174Yb+ ion. This method is based on the detection of photons emitted from excited states, where a highly synchronized measurement sequence for laser control and an intensity-alternating sequence for atomic excitation and photon counting are used to minimize systematic errors. This method is easy to implement and is immune to fluctuations of magnetic field, laser intensity, and frequency detuning. Combined with the real-time approach of background photon correction, the radiative lifetime of the 2D3/2^{2}D_{3/2}2D3/2​ state is determined to be $54.83\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.18$ ms, which represents an order of magnitude improvement in measurement precision. The accurately determined lifetime sets a benchmark for many-body atomic theories and is particularly useful to determine the coherence time limit of the optical clock.
High-Resolution Spectroscopy of 173^{173}173Yb+^{+}+ Ions
Compared to other stable isotopes of Yb+\rm{Yb}^+Yb+, 173Yb+^{173}\rm{Yb}^+173Yb+ has a richer hyperfine structure, which leads to more favorable clock transitions, spectroscopic techniques for probing new physics, and more sophisticated quantum computing architectures. However, to date, its electronic spectrum remains poorly characterized. Here, we report on efficient laser cooling, state preparation, and detection of a single trapped 173Yb+^{173}\rm{Yb}^+173Yb+ ion. The previously unobserved 2 ⁣S1/2→2 ⁣D3/2^2\!S_{1/2} \rightarrow {}^2\!D_{3/2}2S1/2​→2D3/2​ electric quadrupole transition at 436 nm is coherently excited, and the isotope shift between 171Yb+^{171}\rm{Yb}^+171Yb+ and 173Yb+^{173}\rm{Yb}^+173Yb+ on this transition is determined with an uncertainty of 1.4 Hz. Using microwave spectroscopy, we resolve the hyperfine structure (HFS) of the 2 ⁣D3/2{}^2\!D_{3/2}2D3/2​ state with a relative uncertainty below 10−810^{-8}10−8. From the HFS measurement data, we infer for 173{}^{173}173Yb a nuclear magnetic octupole moment Ω=−0.062(8) (b×μN)Ω= -0.062(8)\,({\rm b} \times μ_N)Ω=−0.062(8)(b×μN​) with uncertainty reduced by more than 2 orders of magnitude compared to previous studies. The data also allow us to determine hyperfine anomalies for the 2 ⁣S1/2{}^2\!S_{1/2}2S1/2​ and 2 ⁣D3/2{}^2\!D_{3/2}2D3/2​ states.