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Joint Conference of the European Frequency and Time Forum and IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium (EFTF/IFCS)

Improvement in accuracy of a single40Ca+optical clock towards the 10−15level using a magnetic shield

Kensuke Matsubara, Ying Li, Shigeo Nagano, Hiroyuki Ito, Masatoshi Kajita, Reiko Kojima, Yuko Hanado, Kazuhiro Hayasaka, Mizuhiko Hosokawa

Published May 1, 2011• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report a frequency measurement of a single40Ca+optical clock towards the 10−15uncertainty level. In contrast with our previous measurement, in which the accuracy was limited by line broadening due to the magnetic field fluctuation, the use of a magnetic shield significantly reduced the spectrum linewidth of the clock transition. By a frequency comparison to an87Sr lattice clock, an Allan deviation of 7 × 10−16was observed at an averaging time of 103seconds. We preliminarily measured the clock transition frequency to be 411 042 129 776 397 (3) Hz with respect to the SI definition of the second. Further measurements are executed aiming at an accuracy of low parts in the 10−15level.

DOI
10.1109/fcs.2011.5977880

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We report a frequency measurement of a single40Ca+optical clock towards the 10−15uncertainty level. In contrast with our previous measurement, in which the accuracy was limited by line broadening due to the magnetic field fluctuation, the use of a magnetic shield significantly reduced the spectrum linewidth of the clock transition. By a frequency comparison to an87Sr lattice clock, an Allan deviation of 7 × 10−16was observed at an averaging time of 103seconds. We preliminarily measured the clock transition frequency to be 411 042 129 776 397 (3) Hz with respect to the SI definition of the second. Further measurements are executed aiming at an accuracy of low parts in the 10−15level.
We report improved frequency measurement of a single40Ca+optical clock towards the 10-15uncertainty level. In contrast with our previous measurement, in which the accuracy was limited by the magnetic field fluctuation, the use of a magnetic shield significantly reduced the observed linewidth of its2S1/2-2D5/2clock transition. From frequency comparison between the40Ca+clock and an87Sr lattice clock, an Allan deviation of 7 × 10-16at an averaging time of one thousand seconds was measured. We now measure the absolute frequency of the40Ca+clock transition with respect to the SI definition of the second.
We developed an optical frequency standard using40Ca+with the 42S1/2-32D5/2electric quadrupole transition. Its absolute transition frequency is 411 042 129 776 390(7) Hz. The uncertainty is limited by the electric quadrupole shift and ambient magnetic field fluctuation. To determine the absolute transition frequency with a better uncertainty, we have observed two pairs of the symmetrically-splitting Zeeman components and measured the transition frequency which is corrected for the electric quadrupole shift. It will be used to determine the absolute transition frequency with respect to the SI base units of time and length. In addition, we are developing a magnetic-shielded ion-trap chamber to reduce the transition-line broadening caused by the magnetic field fluctuation.
We developed an optical frequency standard with the 4 2S1/2-3 2D5/2 electric quadrupole transition of 40Ca+ ions. Its absolute transition frequency is 411 042 129 776 390(±7) Hz. The accuracy is limited by the electric quadrupole shift and the ambient magnetic field fluctuation. To determine the absolute transition frequency with a better accuracy, we have observed two pairs of the symmetrically-splitting Zeeman components and measured the transition frequency corrected for the electric quadrupole shift. In addition, we are developing a magnetic-shielded ion-trap chamber to suppress the transition-line broadening caused by the magnetic field fluctuation.
Abstract Here, we develop a compact multilayer magnetic shield for a transportable optical clock, achieving shielding factors of up to 10 5 . To improve the frequency stability of the transportable optical clock, we improved the magnetic-field environment of a transportable 40 Ca + ion optical clock (TCIOC) using the newly developed magnetic shielding system and reduced the clock-laser frequency noise by transferring the stability of an ultrastable reference laser through an optical frequency comb. These improvements enabled the coherent interrogation time to be extended from 40 ms to 320 ms . A time-interleaved self-comparison yielded a measured short-term fractional frequency instability of 1.6 × 10 − 15 / τ , close to the estimated quantum projection noise-limited instability of 1.18 × 10 − 15 / τ . Meanwhile, the uncertainty contributions associated with the DC second-order Zeeman shift and the servo error were reduced to 1.1 × 10 − 21 and 4.5 × 10 − 19 . These results provide a practical basis for further improving the performance of transportable optical clocks.
One of the main limitations in the long-term measurement of the clock transition's absolute frequency is the magnetic field's fluctuation. The time-varying fluctuation of the external magnetic field leads to frequency shifts of the Zeeman components, thereby reducing the optical clock's frequency stability over time. Currently, optical atomic references are usually implemented with the help of a single ion. However, scaling the number of ions to higher values brings an indisputable benefit in the form of a high signal-to-noise ratio and, thus to the efficiency of the entire measurement process. In this case, the ions are spread over a large area, forming so-called ionic Coulomb crystals. In addition to the spatial stability of the magnetic field, the homogeneity of the magnetic field is also significant when working with Coulomb crystals. Excessive magnetic perturbation can be greatly reduced by covering the assembly with a magnetic shield or by using permanent magnets instead of conventionally used magnetic coils. Another method is averaging over multiple-level transitions. This contribution presents a simple method for measuring the stability of the magnetic field at the ion position.
A clock laser based on a 30-cm-long ultrahigh finesse optical cavity was developed to improve the frequency stability of the Sr optical lattice clock at the National Institute of Metrology. Using this clock laser to probe the spin-polarized Sr87 atoms, a Rabi transition linewidth of 1.8 Hz was obtained with 500 ms interrogation time. Two independent digital servos are used to alternatively lock the clock laser to the S01 (mF=+9/2)→P03 (mF=+9/2) transition. The Allan deviation shows that the short-term frequency stability is better than 3.2×10−16 and averages down followed by 1.8×10−15/τ.