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Physical Review Letters

Ultrahigh-Resolution Microwave Spectroscopy on Trapped Yb+171 Ions

R. Blatt, H. Schnatz, Günther Werth

Published Jun 7, 1982• 73 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A laser optical-pumping, double-resonance experiment was performed on electrodynamically confined $^{171}\mathrm{Yb}^{+}$ ions. The ground-state hyperfine splitting has been determined to be $\ensuremath{\Delta}{W}_{\mathrm{h}\mathrm{f}\mathrm{s}}=12642812124.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.4$ Hz. The ultimate linewidth obtained in this experiment was 60 mHz, corresponding to a line $Q$ of 0.2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{12}$. It was limited by the stability of the available frequency reference.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.48.1601

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•May 8, 1994•1 citation
A laser optical-pumping, double-resonance experiment was performed on electrodynamically confined 171Yb+^{171}\mathrm{Yb}^{+}171Yb+ ions. The ground-state hyperfine splitting has been determined to be \ensuremathΔWhfs=12642812124.2\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi1.4\ensuremath{\Delta}{W}_{\mathrm{h}\mathrm{f}\mathrm{s}}=12642812124.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.4\ensuremathΔWhfs​=12642812124.2\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi1.4 Hz. The ultimate linewidth obtained in this experiment was 60 mHz, corresponding to a line QQQ of 0.2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1012{10}^{12}1012. It was limited by the stability of the available frequency reference.
A single ion whose energy levels are hyperfine split, 171 Yb + , was electrodynamically trapped and laser cooled. The residual energy of both its driven motion and its secular motion was 11 μeV. Radiofrequency-optical double-resonance excitation yields spectra whose 40 Hz wide lines are determined so far by the duration of the ion's interaction with the 12.6 GHz radiation. These results prove that a microwave clock is feasible with its fractional systematic uncertainty not exceeding 10 −16 .
We experimentally demonstrate laser spectroscopy of the electric-quadrupole transition 6s2S1/2−−5d2D3/26s{}^{2}{S}_{1/2}--5d{}^{2}{D}_{3/2}6s2S1/2​−−5d2D3/2​ of a single trapped 171Yb{}^{171}\mathrm{Yb}171Yb ion. The probed transition has a natural linewidth of 3.1 Hz, and is at a wavelength of 435.5 nm. A 171Yb{}^{171}\mathrm{Yb}171Yb ion is laser cooled to the range of the Doppler limit in a radio-frequency Paul trap. The $F=0--{F}^{\ensuremath{'}}=2,$ ${m}_{{F}^{\ensuremath{'}}}=0$ hyperfine component of the 2S1/2−−2D3/2{}^{2}{S}_{1/2}{--}^{2}{D}_{3/2}2S1/2​−−2D3/2​ transition is excited by a laser source whose frequency is controlled by an optical reference cavity of high intrinsic stability. The recoilless carrier component of the vibrational sideband spectrum is resolved with a minimum linewidth of approximately 80 Hz, corresponding to a fractional frequency resolution of $1.2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}13}.$ This resolution limit is attributed to laser frequency instability. The effective decoherence rates of the residual ion motion are inferred from the observation that the axial and two radial low-frequency first-order secular-vibration sidebands show minimum linewidths in the range of 0.2--1 kHz. Prospects for an optical frequency standard based on the investigated atomic system are discussed.
High-Resolution Spectroscopy of 173^{173}173Yb+^{+}+ Ions
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The ground-state hyperfine transitions of trapped clouds of 9Be+, 201Hg+, and 171Yb ions have been made control microwave oscillators.1-5 The frequency stability of these atomic clocks exceeds that of a primary Cs frequency standard in the short-term regime and that of a hydrogen maser for long times. Systematic perturbations derive from the members of the cloud being placed in an inhomogeneous field and showing residual motion. A single cold ion kept in the field node of an electrodynamic trap lacks these perturbations. The precise control of a standard frequency requires a narrow and weak transition whose resonance can be hardly detected by observation of the fluorescence on this line.