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Physics-Uspekhi

Modern radio-optical methods in quantum magnetometry

Evgenii B. Aleksandrov, Anton K. Vershovskii

Published Jun 30, 2009• 104 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This paper is an extension of a part of the talk delivered under the more general title Narrow spectral lines in fundamental metrology: state of the art, prospects, and problems' at the session of the 90th anniversary of Physics–Uspekhi. The talk reviewed past developments and the current status of the metrology of length, frequency/time, and magnetic fields. The measurement of these quantities currently relies on the high stability of energies of standard transitions between metastable atomic states. Because of space restrictions in the journal, all metrology topics other than the title one were omitted in the present review.

DOI
10.3367/ufne.0179.200906f.0605

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This paper is an extension of a part of the talk delivered under the more general title Narrow spectral lines in fundamental metrology: state of the art, prospects, and problems' at the session of the 90th anniversary of Physics–Uspekhi. The talk reviewed past developments and the current status of the metrology of length, frequency/time, and magnetic fields. The measurement of these quantities currently relies on the high stability of energies of standard transitions between metastable atomic states. Because of space restrictions in the journal, all metrology topics other than the title one were omitted in the present review.
Atom-based measurements enable unprecedented accuracy and allow for direct International System of Units (SI) traceable measurements. As a result, metrology techniques and measurement standards have evolved towards atom-based measurements over the last few decades (time, frequency, length). Recently, there has been a great interest in extending this to magnetic fields, electric fields, and other physical quantities. The unique properties of Rydberg atoms allow for radio-frequency metrology and spectroscopy, leading not only to accuracy improvements but also to a range of intriguing applications.
Optical atomic clocks based on laser-cooled trapped ions and atoms have advanced rapidly over the past decade. With fractional frequency uncertainties now surpassing 10 −18 , they are some of the most precise measurement tools ever built. Yet researchers are still pursuing new avenues of research to explore the fundamental limits to their stability, accuracy, and reproducibility. In this mini-review, we provide a survey of the current state of the art by describing the fundamental principles and techniques that underpin this progress, the architectures used to realize optical clocks, and the supporting laser technologies that are essential to their operation. We also examine the progress that has been made toward a redefinition of the second in the International System of Units and the inclusion of optical clocks into the global time and frequency metrology infrastructure. Finally, we discuss emerging applications of optical clocks and look at the prospects for making their precision more readily accessible to end users.
Transitions between discrete energy levels in well-isolated atomic systems are highly reproducible and therefore make ideal references for highly accurate frequency standards or clocks. In particular, a single laser-cooled ion confined in a radiofrequency ion trap closely approximates the spectroscopic ideal of a particle at rest in a perturbation-free environment. Narrow optical transitions in such systems are therefore very promising for the realization of optical clocks with accuracy around 2 orders of magnitude higher than current microwave primary standards. In this paper the fundamental aspects, current performance and applications of trapped ion optical clocks are reviewed and the potential for future improvements is considered.