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Japanese Journal of Applied Physics

Present Status and Prospects of Ion Trap Frequency Standards

Günter Werth

Published Mar 1, 1994• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Present experiments on ion trap frequency standards in the microwave, optical and infrared spectral regions are described, and new ions are considered with respect to their potential as possible candidates. The present status strongly suggests that fractional frequency instabilities of about 10-16 will soon be obtained. Furthermore miniaturization of practical devices seems possible in the near future.

DOI
10.1143/jjap.33.1585

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Present experiments on ion trap frequency standards in the microwave, optical and infrared spectral regions are described, and new ions are considered with respect to their potential as possible candidates. The present status strongly suggests that fractional frequency instabilities of about 10-16 will soon be obtained. Furthermore miniaturization of practical devices seems possible in the near future.
Ion traps are exciting candidates as future precision frequency sources. Recent developments demonstrate that mercury ion frequency standards are capable of a stability performance comparable to commercial cesium standards. There is, however, considerable room for improvement with regard to the signal to noise problem. The 40 GHz microwave frequency implies that a careful design should be implemented to ensure the elimination of the unwanted side bands in the microwave pump signal. A long life, high performance light source to be used in a trapped mercury ion microwave standard must be developed and the long term performance of a trapped mercury ion microwave standard must be investigated. While newly proposed two photon pumping schemes in conjuction with mercury ions promise exciting developments for both microwave and optical frequency standards, other ions that may be potential candidates should be evaluated for their usefulness.
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Microwave spectroscopy using trapped and cooled ions can achieve precision and accuracy comparable to the best cesium frequency standards. We discuss standards based on 199Hg+ ions trapped in linear Paul traps: the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) standard, which uses up to 107 atoms confined near the trap axis, and the recently evaluated NIST standard, which uses approximately ten ions laser cooled and crystalized on the trap axis. We consider future directions in trapped ion frequency standard work, including the use of entangled states for achieving higher precision, and progress on trapped ion optical frequency standards. Finally, we discuss scientific and technical applications of extremely stable frequency standards.
Microwave spectroscopy using trapped and cooled ions can achieve precision and accuracy comparable to the best cesium frequency standards. We discuss standards based on 199Hg+ ions trapped in linear Paul traps: the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) standard, which uses up to 107 atoms confined near the trap axis, and the recently evaluated NIST standard, which uses approximately ten ions laser cooled and crystalized on the trap axis. We consider future directions in trapped ion frequency standard work, including the use of entangled states for achieving higher precision, and progress on trapped ion optical frequency standards. Finally, we discuss scientific and technical applications of extremely stable frequency standards.