Combining lattice clocks with cavity QED: Prospects for a mHz-linewidth laser

Dominic Meiser, Brandon M. Peden, Murray Holland

Bjarke T. R. Christensen, Stefan Alaric Schäffer, Martin R. Henriksen +3 more

The development of simple and reliable high stability clock lasers is of great importance for future state-of-the-art optical clocks [1]-[5] and for future transportable optical clocks [6], [7]. Further development of clock lasers with better stability has so far been hindered by thermal noise in the reference cavity used for laser stabilization and conventional approaches for improvements may be technically challenging. It has been proposed [8]-[11] to improve the stability and reduce the complexity of state-of-the-art laser frequency stabilization by exploiting cavity QED systems consisting of atoms with a narrow optical transition coupled to a single mode of an optical cavity. The laser stabilization performance of a cavity QED system is affected by a number of system parameters such as the finite temperature of the atoms, the number of involved atoms and the laser power [12]-[14]. However, the dynamics of those elements have not yet been fully explored. Here we present a simple cavity QED system consisting of laser cooled strontium-88 atoms coupled to an optical cavity. We relate measurable quantities to the complex transmission coefficient which relates the input field to the output field. The optimal input power for stabilizing a laser to this system is experimentally determined and the optimal shot-noise-limited linewidth of the system is evaluated to 500 mHz. Furthermore, theoretical shot-noise-limited linewidths of similar cavity QED systems are evaluated for a number of different two electron systems.

Darrick E. Chang, Jun Ye, Mikhail D. Lukin

Matthew A. Norcia

In my thesis work, I have explored a variety of ways in which narrow linewidth optical transitions can be utilized to extend the capabilities of precision measurement and quantum science. These tools include non-destructive atom counting techniques that may enhance the performance of optical lattice clocks, a novel form of cavity enhanced atomic spectroscopy appropriate for laser frequency stabilization, a new form of laser cooling with reduced reliance on spontaneous emission, several methods for enhancing the sensitivity of proposed atomic gravitational wave detectors, a newly observed form of cavity-mediated spin-spin interactions, and a new class of laser based on optical superradiance from narrow and ultra-narrow linewidth transitions. As part of the superradiant laser project, we have demonstrated the most precise active absolute frequency reference realized to date, which still has great potential for improvement.\nMany of these tools involve coupling atoms to an optical cavity, a field known as cavity quantum electrodynamics, or cavity QED. In my thesis work, a key focus was the extension of cavity QED techniques into the new regime of coupling large ensembles of atoms to a cavity using narrow linewidth optical transitions (in contrast to the previously explored regimes of microwave-frequency transitions or broad-linewidth optical transitions). To this end, I constructed a new experiment to couple an ensemble of atoms to an optical cavity using two optical transitions in atomic strontium, one with a narrow 7.5 kHz linewidth, and another with an ultra-narrow 1 mHz linewidth. This new system has allowed us to access a unique new regime of cavity QED, and a wealth of interesting and useful applications.

Perry R. Rice, H. J. Carmichael

Michael J. Martin, D. Meiser, Jan W. Thomsen +2 more

We explore the potential of direct spectroscopy of ultranarrow optical transitions of atoms localized in an optical cavity. In contrast to stabilization against a reference cavity, which is the approach currently used for the most highly stabilized lasers, stabilization against an atomic transition does not suffer from Brownian thermal noise. Spectroscopy of ultranarrow optical transitions in a cavity operates in a very highly saturated regime in which nonlinear effects such as bistability play an important role. From the universal behavior of the Jaynes-Cummings model with dissipation, we derive the fundamental limits for laser stabilization using direct spectroscopy of ultranarrow atomic lines. We find that, with current lattice clock experiments, laser linewidths of about 1 mHz can be achieved in principle, and the ultimate limitations of this technique are at the 1 $\ensuremath{\mu}$Hz level.