Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

European Frequency and Time Forum

Towards Polish Optical Clock with Cold Strontium Atoms, present status and performance

Marcin Bober, Jerzy Zachorowski, Wojciech Gawlik, Piotr Morzyński, M. Zawada, Daniel Lisak, Agata Cygan, Katarzyna Bielska, Mariusz Piwiński, R. S. Trawiński, R. Ciuryło, Filip Ozimek, Czesław Radzewicz

Published Apr 1, 2012• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report on the status of the work towards cold strontium clock in the Polish National Laboratory of AMO Physics in Torun. The system consists of: (1) a Zeeman slower and magneto-optical traps (at 461 nm and 689 nm), (2) a frequency comb, and (3) a narrow-band laser coupled to an ultra-stable optical cavity. So far, all parts of the experiment are working and the whole system is tested at the1S0-3P1, 689 nm optical transition in88Sr atoms with 7 kHz linewidth.

DOI
10.1109/eftf.2012.6502411

Related papers

Precision spectroscopy of cold strontium atoms, towards optical atomic clock

Marcin Bober, Jerzy Zachorowski, Wojciech Gawlik +10 more

Abstract This report concerns the experiment of precision spectroscopy of cold strontium atoms in the Polish National Laboratory of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics in Toruń. The system is composed of a Zeeman slower and magneto-optical traps (at 461 nm and 689 nm), a frequency comb, and a narrow-band laser locked to an ultra-stable optical cavity. All parts of the experiment are prepared and the first measurements of the absolute frequency of the 1S0-3P1, 689 nm optical transition in 88Sr atoms are performed.

Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences Technical Sciences•Dec 1, 2012•4 citations

Towards a strontium based stationary optical lattice clock

Qasim Hassan Ubaid

Optical atomic clocks have proven to be the most stable clocks with the lowest systematic uncertainty which has now reached a record level of (9.4 X10/(^{19}/)). Thus optical clocks now surpass the best fountain Cs atomic clocks by three orders of magnitude which opens the prospect of using optical clocks as frequency standards for timekeeping in the near future. \n \nThis thesis describes the progress that has been made towards a stationary optical lattice clock based on strontium atoms, and reports the results of an ongoing characterization. \n \nAn experimental apparatus was designed and built to efficiently slow, cool, and trap the strontium atoms which represent the heart of the strontium optical lattice clock discussed in this thesis. The novel aspects of the experimental development described in the thesis comprise a frequency doubling cavity for producing 461 nm laser light employed for cooling and trapping the strontium atoms in the first stage cooling. This cavity provided sufficient power for cooling and trapping the strontium atoms for up to 300 mW of 461 nm laser light. Furthermore, a new design of Zeeman slower based on spherical permanent magnets was produced, built and characterized. \n \nThe slower is compact, tunable, easy to assemble and maintain, and cost-effective as the permanent magnets do not require any power supply or water cooling. It is suggested that this kind of Zeeman slower constitutes an ideal solution for portable optical clock systems. A blue magneto-optical trap was realized for the first time with such a Zeeman slower. With about 30 mW of a 461 nm laser, up to 6X10/(^8/) atoms were captured.

•Jul 20, 2020•0 citations

Optical frequency standard with ultra-cold strontium atoms

N. Poli, Robert E. Drullinger, Marco G. Tarallo +2 more

We report on our progress toward the realization of an optical frequency standard referenced to strontium intercombination lines. While first frequency measurement of the weakly allowed 1S 0- 3P 1 transition was done with saturation spectroscopy on a thermal beam, we are preparing the experimental setup for high resolution spectroscopy on ultracold atoms of the doubly forbidden 1S 0- 3P 0 line. Our current setup allows the capture more than 10 7 atoms at 1 μK in 500 ms in two stages of magneto-optical trapping. We also demonstrated the dipole trapping of ultracold strontium isotopes for accurate spectroscopy and collisional measurements. A semiconductor laser source at 698 nm has already been locked to a pre-stabilization cavity obtaining a fast linewidth of less than 1 kHz. Second stage stabilization of the clock laser to ultra-high finesse cavity is in development. Recent measurement of elastic and inelastic cross-sections of the two most abundant 88Sr and 86Sr isotopes are also presented.

•Jan 1, 2006•2 citations

Progress towards a strontium optical lattice clock at NPL

Elizabeth M. Bridge, Ian R. Hill, Yuri B. Ovchinnikov +3 more

The1S0-3P0transition at 698 nm in neutral strontium has the potential to be an extremely precise optical frequency standard [1] and is one of several candidates for a future redefinition of the second. Recent measurements of this transition at three national laboratories around the world have fractional frequency uncertainties in the 1015range and agree to within a hertz [2,3,4]. To realise fully the potential accuracy of this frequency standard, in depth studies of systematic effects need to be performed in order to characterise them at the level necessary for a redefinition of the second. At the National Physical Laboratory we are developing a compact, diode laser based optical lattice clock. We intend to study the clock transition in both88Sr and87Sr with focus on the uncertainties in the frequency shifts due to blackbody radiation. The setup incorporates a novel permanent magnet based Zeeman slower [5].

European Frequency and Time Forum•Apr 1, 2010•0 citations

Spectroscopy of cold Strontium atoms with a sub-kHz linewidth AlGaInP semiconductor disk laser (Conference Presentation)

Paulo Hisao Moriya, Shengnan Zhang, Peter Schlosser +3 more

We report recent progress in sub-kHz-linewidth operation of AlGaInP-based SDL systems designed for neutral Strontium optical clocks. Overall system performance is presented, including intensity, frequency and phase noise characterisation. Two almost identical SDLs, each with >150 mW output at 689 nm, were frequency locked and an optical beat note measurement produced a linewidth of 160 Hz with fractional frequency stability reaching below 2×〖10〗^(-15) for averaging times from 60-400 s. Spectroscopic measurements of a blue magneto-optical trap (MOT) of Strontium with one SDL resulted in a reduction of the atomic sample fluorescence and revealed Zeeman splitting of the 3P1 electronic level.

•Mar 9, 2020•0 citations

Optical lattice clock on bosonic Strontium atoms

N. Poli, Marco G. Tarallo, M. Schioppo +4 more

We report on recent realization of an optical lattice clock operating on the1S0-3P0transition in88Sr, at LENS laboratories. The clock transition is excited with the technique of magnetic field-induced spectroscopy. New experimental techniques has also been developed in order to simplifies the clock spectroscopy in Sr atoms. The first new method helps in the first search of the clock transition without the use of extensive frequency metrology hardware and in particular optical frequency combs. This technique exploits a near coincidence in the atomic wavelengths of the1S0-3P0clock and1S0-3P1second stage cooling transitions in Sr, which are only 5 THz far apart. This coincidence enables the use of an optical (transfer) cavity to reference the frequency of the clock transition relative to that of the much stronger cooling transition. Secondly we reduce the complexity of the experimental setup by using only semiconductor laser sources in the apparatus. With this setup, about 10488Sr atoms are trapped in a 1D lattice formed by 200 mW of radiation tuned near the magic wavelength at 813 nm. We will present a first uncertainty budget for our optical lattice clock based on88Sr with particular attention to density dependent collisions, which led to an unexpectedly high signal contrast for long interaction times. In view of an absolute frequency measurement of clock transition we'll also present recent experimental results on optimization of an home made Ti:Sa optical frequency comb. Additionally, we anticipate that the simplification of the experimental setup presented will help address a wider range of applications including those requiring transportable devices. Along these lines we will report progress on the realization of the first transportable Sr optical lattice clock.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)•Jun 1, 2009•1 citation
We report on the status of the work towards cold strontium clock in the Polish National Laboratory of AMO Physics in Torun. The system consists of: (1) a Zeeman slower and magneto-optical traps (at 461 nm and 689 nm), (2) a frequency comb, and (3) a narrow-band laser coupled to an ultra-stable optical cavity. So far, all parts of the experiment are working and the whole system is tested at the1S0-3P1, 689 nm optical transition in88Sr atoms with 7 kHz linewidth.
Abstract This report concerns the experiment of precision spectroscopy of cold strontium atoms in the Polish National Laboratory of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics in Toruń. The system is composed of a Zeeman slower and magneto-optical traps (at 461 nm and 689 nm), a frequency comb, and a narrow-band laser locked to an ultra-stable optical cavity. All parts of the experiment are prepared and the first measurements of the absolute frequency of the 1S0-3P1, 689 nm optical transition in 88Sr atoms are performed.
Optical atomic clocks have proven to be the most stable clocks with the lowest systematic uncertainty which has now reached a record level of (9.4 X10/(^{19}/)). Thus optical clocks now surpass the best fountain Cs atomic clocks by three orders of magnitude which opens the prospect of using optical clocks as frequency standards for timekeeping in the near future. \n \nThis thesis describes the progress that has been made towards a stationary optical lattice clock based on strontium atoms, and reports the results of an ongoing characterization. \n \nAn experimental apparatus was designed and built to efficiently slow, cool, and trap the strontium atoms which represent the heart of the strontium optical lattice clock discussed in this thesis. The novel aspects of the experimental development described in the thesis comprise a frequency doubling cavity for producing 461 nm laser light employed for cooling and trapping the strontium atoms in the first stage cooling. This cavity provided sufficient power for cooling and trapping the strontium atoms for up to 300 mW of 461 nm laser light. Furthermore, a new design of Zeeman slower based on spherical permanent magnets was produced, built and characterized. \n \nThe slower is compact, tunable, easy to assemble and maintain, and cost-effective as the permanent magnets do not require any power supply or water cooling. It is suggested that this kind of Zeeman slower constitutes an ideal solution for portable optical clock systems. A blue magneto-optical trap was realized for the first time with such a Zeeman slower. With about 30 mW of a 461 nm laser, up to 6X10/(^8/) atoms were captured.
We report on our progress toward the realization of an optical frequency standard referenced to strontium intercombination lines. While first frequency measurement of the weakly allowed 1S 0- 3P 1 transition was done with saturation spectroscopy on a thermal beam, we are preparing the experimental setup for high resolution spectroscopy on ultracold atoms of the doubly forbidden 1S 0- 3P 0 line. Our current setup allows the capture more than 10 7 atoms at 1 μK in 500 ms in two stages of magneto-optical trapping. We also demonstrated the dipole trapping of ultracold strontium isotopes for accurate spectroscopy and collisional measurements. A semiconductor laser source at 698 nm has already been locked to a pre-stabilization cavity obtaining a fast linewidth of less than 1 kHz. Second stage stabilization of the clock laser to ultra-high finesse cavity is in development. Recent measurement of elastic and inelastic cross-sections of the two most abundant 88Sr and 86Sr isotopes are also presented.
The1S0-3P0transition at 698 nm in neutral strontium has the potential to be an extremely precise optical frequency standard [1] and is one of several candidates for a future redefinition of the second. Recent measurements of this transition at three national laboratories around the world have fractional frequency uncertainties in the 1015range and agree to within a hertz [2,3,4]. To realise fully the potential accuracy of this frequency standard, in depth studies of systematic effects need to be performed in order to characterise them at the level necessary for a redefinition of the second. At the National Physical Laboratory we are developing a compact, diode laser based optical lattice clock. We intend to study the clock transition in both88Sr and87Sr with focus on the uncertainties in the frequency shifts due to blackbody radiation. The setup incorporates a novel permanent magnet based Zeeman slower [5].
We report recent progress in sub-kHz-linewidth operation of AlGaInP-based SDL systems designed for neutral Strontium optical clocks. Overall system performance is presented, including intensity, frequency and phase noise characterisation. Two almost identical SDLs, each with >150 mW output at 689 nm, were frequency locked and an optical beat note measurement produced a linewidth of 160 Hz with fractional frequency stability reaching below 2×〖10〗^(-15) for averaging times from 60-400 s. Spectroscopic measurements of a blue magneto-optical trap (MOT) of Strontium with one SDL resulted in a reduction of the atomic sample fluorescence and revealed Zeeman splitting of the 3P1 electronic level.
We report on recent realization of an optical lattice clock operating on the1S0-3P0transition in88Sr, at LENS laboratories. The clock transition is excited with the technique of magnetic field-induced spectroscopy. New experimental techniques has also been developed in order to simplifies the clock spectroscopy in Sr atoms. The first new method helps in the first search of the clock transition without the use of extensive frequency metrology hardware and in particular optical frequency combs. This technique exploits a near coincidence in the atomic wavelengths of the1S0-3P0clock and1S0-3P1second stage cooling transitions in Sr, which are only 5 THz far apart. This coincidence enables the use of an optical (transfer) cavity to reference the frequency of the clock transition relative to that of the much stronger cooling transition. Secondly we reduce the complexity of the experimental setup by using only semiconductor laser sources in the apparatus. With this setup, about 10488Sr atoms are trapped in a 1D lattice formed by 200 mW of radiation tuned near the magic wavelength at 813 nm. We will present a first uncertainty budget for our optical lattice clock based on88Sr with particular attention to density dependent collisions, which led to an unexpectedly high signal contrast for long interaction times. In view of an absolute frequency measurement of clock transition we'll also present recent experimental results on optimization of an home made Ti:Sa optical frequency comb. Additionally, we anticipate that the simplification of the experimental setup presented will help address a wider range of applications including those requiring transportable devices. Along these lines we will report progress on the realization of the first transportable Sr optical lattice clock.