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Physical Review A

Measurement of the 2 S 1 / 2 − 2 D 5 / 2 clock transition in a single 171 Yb + ion

M. Roberts, P. Taylor, S. Gateva, Roger B. M. Clarke, W. R. C. Rowley, Patrick Robert Gill

Published Oct 1, 1999• 59 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Spectroscopy of the 411-nm transition in ${}^{171}{\mathrm{Yb}}^{+}$ has been performed and the feasibility of its use as an optical frequency standard has been demonstrated. The ${}^{2}{S}_{1/2}(F=0, {m}_{F}=0){--}^{2}{D}_{5/2}(F=2, {m}_{F}=0)$ frequency, at zero-magnetic field, has been measured to be 729 487 779 566(153) kHz. This transition is free from the first-order Zeeman shift and has a measured second-order shift of +0.38(8) Hz/(\ensuremath{\mu}${\mathrm{T})}^{2}$. In addition, the hyperfine structure of the ${}^{2}{D}_{5/2}$ level has been deduced by driving the other hyperfine components of the 411-nm transition, showing it to be inverted. The ${}^{2}{D}_{5/2}$ hyperfine splitting, measured to be -191(2) MHz, implies an A factor of -63.6(7) MHz. These data taken in conjunction with previous work yield an isotope shift of ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{171}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{172}=+1317.1(1.3)\mathrm{MHz}$ for this transition between the 171 and 172 isotopes.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.60.2867

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Spectroscopy of the 411-nm transition in 171Yb+{}^{171}{\mathrm{Yb}}^{+}171Yb+ has been performed and the feasibility of its use as an optical frequency standard has been demonstrated. The 2S1/2(F=0,mF=0)−−2D5/2(F=2,mF=0){}^{2}{S}_{1/2}(F=0, {m}_{F}=0){--}^{2}{D}_{5/2}(F=2, {m}_{F}=0)2S1/2​(F=0,mF​=0)−−2D5/2​(F=2,mF​=0) frequency, at zero-magnetic field, has been measured to be 729 487 779 566(153) kHz. This transition is free from the first-order Zeeman shift and has a measured second-order shift of +0.38(8) Hz/(\ensuremath{\mu}T)2{\mathrm{T})}^{2}T)2. In addition, the hyperfine structure of the 2D5/2{}^{2}{D}_{5/2}2D5/2​ level has been deduced by driving the other hyperfine components of the 411-nm transition, showing it to be inverted. The 2D5/2{}^{2}{D}_{5/2}2D5/2​ hyperfine splitting, measured to be -191(2) MHz, implies an A factor of -63.6(7) MHz. These data taken in conjunction with previous work yield an isotope shift of \ensuremathν171\ensuremath−\ensuremathν172=+1317.1(1.3)MHz{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{171}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{172}=+1317.1(1.3)\mathrm{MHz}\ensuremathν171​\ensuremath−\ensuremathν172​=+1317.1(1.3)MHz for this transition between the 171 and 172 isotopes.
The hyperfine structure of the ${}^{2}{S}_{1/2}{\ensuremath{-}}^{2}{D}_{5/2}$ quadrupole transition at 674 nm in 87Sr+{}^{87}{\mathrm{Sr}}^{+}87Sr+ has been observed. The ion was confined in a Paul trap and cooled using laser radiation at 422 and 1092 nm. The quadrupole transition was observed by monitoring quantum jumps in the 422-nm fluorescence. The odd isotope of strontium has ``clock'' transitions independent of the first-order Zeeman shift and the 2D5/2{}^{2}{D}_{5/2}2D5/2​ state hyperfine structure constants have been determined as AD5/2=2.1743(14)MHz{A}_{{D}_{5/2}}=2.1743(14)\mathrm{MHz}AD5/2​​=2.1743(14)MHz and BD5/2=49.11(6)MHz.{B}_{{D}_{5/2}}=49.11(6)\mathrm{MHz}.BD5/2​​=49.11(6)MHz. Standard uncertainties have been added in parentheses. These values allow the second-order Zeeman shifts to be calculated. The ${}^{88}{\mathrm{Sr}}^{+}{\ensuremath{-}}^{87}{\mathrm{Sr}}^{+}$ isotope shift for the 674-nm quadrupole transition has been measured to be 247.99(4) MHz.
The suitability of the 411-nm ${}^{2}{S}_{1/2}{\ensuremath{-}}^{2}{D}_{5/2}$ transition in Yb+{\mathrm{Yb}}^{+}Yb+ is assessed as an optical frequency standard. The lifetime of the 2D5/2{}^{2}{D}_{5/2}2D5/2​ level has been measured and found to be 7.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.3 ms, which implies a natural linewidth of 22.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.9 Hz for the 411-nm transition. In addition to a decay to the ground state the 2D5/2{}^{2}{D}_{5/2}2D5/2​ level can decay into the highly metastable 2F7/2{}^{2}{F}_{7/2}2F7/2​ level where it is trapped. The branching ratio for decay into the 2F7/2{}^{2}{F}_{7/2}2F7/2​ level has been measured and found to be 0.83\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.03. A transition capable of rapidly depopulating the 2F7/2{}^{2}{F}_{7/2}2F7/2​ level and returning the ion to the cooling cycle has been demonstrated. This has enabled a quantum jump measurement of the 411-nm transition in 172Yb+{}^{172}{\mathrm{Yb}}^{+}172Yb+ to be performed, yielding a center frequency of 729 476 869.13(0.42) MHz (1\ensuremath{\sigma}).
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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.
Observation of the 4f146s2 1S0−4f135d6s2(J=2)4f^{14}6s^{2}~^1S_0- 4f^{13}5d6s^{2}(J=2)4f146s2 1S0​−4f135d6s2(J=2) clock transition at 431 nm in 171^{171}171Yb
We report on the observation of the 4f146s2 1S0−4f135d6s2(J=2)4f^{14}6s^{2}~^1S_0- 4f^{13}5d6s^{2}(J=2)4f146s2 1S0​−4f135d6s2(J=2) transition at 431 nm in 171^{171}171Yb by depleting atoms in a magneto-optical trap formed by the 6s2 1S0−6s6p 3P16s^{2}~^1S_0-6s6p~^3P_16s2 1S0​−6s6p 3P1​ intercombination transition. The absolute frequency of the transition to the F=3/2F=3/2F=3/2 state is determined to be 695 171 054 858.1(8.2)695~171~054~858.1(8.2)695 171 054 858.1(8.2)~kHz against physical realization of Coordinated Universal Time maintained by the National Metrology Institute of Japan with a frequency comb. The ggg factor of the transition to the F=3/2F=3/2F=3/2 state and the A hyperfine constant are measured to be gJ=1.54(13)g_J=1.54(13)gJ​=1.54(13) and 1123.354(13)~MHz, respectively. More precise spectroscopy of this transition can lead to searches for time variation of the fine structure constant and searches for new physics with isotope shift measurements.
We report measurements of the branching fraction, hyperfine constant, and second-order Zeeman coefficient of the D5/2{D}_{5/2}D5/2​ level in 171Yb+^{171}\mathrm{Yb}^{+}171Yb+ with up to a two-orders-of-magnitude reduction in uncertainty compared to previously reported values. We estimate the electric quadrupole reduced matrix element of the ${S}_{1/2}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}{D}_{5/2}$ transition to be 12.5(4) ea02e{a}_{0}^{2}ea02​. Furthermore, we determine the transition frequency of the ${F}_{7/2}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}{\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}}^{1}D{[3/2]}_{3/2}$ at 760 nm with a $\ensuremath{\sim}$25-fold improvement in uncertainty. These measurements provide benchmarks for quantum-many-body atomic-physics calculations and provide valuable data for efforts to improve quantum information processors based on 171Yb+{}^{171}{\text{Yb}}^{+}171Yb+.