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

Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference

Progress towards a single ytterbium ion optical clock

Philip H. Taylor, Stephen A. Webster, M. W. Roberts, Patrick Robert Gill

Published Jan 1, 2000• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Summary form only given. A single laser-cooled ion held in an electrodynamic trap is a near ideal atomic sample for a frequency standard. The quantum jump technique is used to observe a high-Q forbidden transition in the ion. It has been suggested that the ultimate limit to the reproducibility of a standard of this type will lie in the region of one part in 10/sup 18/.

Related papers

Optical frequency standards and clocks based on single trapped ions

Helen S. Margolis, G. P. Barwood, Kazumoto Hosaka +6 more

Forbidden transitions in single laser-cooled trapped ions provide highly stable and accurate references for optical frequency standards. This paper describes recent progress on strontium and ytterbium ion optical frequency standards under development at NPL.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 2006•0 citations

Progress toward a single ytterbium ion optical clock

Paul Taylor, Stephen A. Webster, Matthew Roberts +3 more

Forbidden transitions in single trapped ion systems are being considered as references for future optical frequency standards. These standards are expected to have application as highly stable and reproducible optical clocks, realizations of the metre and as optical frequency standards in their own right. This paper prescribes the work carried out at the National Physical Laboratory over recent years to use a highly forbidden 2S1/2 - 2F7/2 467 nm electric octupole transition in a single ion of 171Yb+ as a frequency reference. A review of the previous measurements needed to the locate octupole transition in this 171-isotope is given and a more detailed discussion of recent work is presented. This includes spectroscopy of the octupole transition with kilohertz resolution and a direct measurement of its optical frequency. Measurements of the dynamic Stark and the quadratic Zeeman shifts on the octupole frequency are also discussed.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•May 3, 2001•0 citations

Trapped Ion Optical Clocks at NPL

Helen S. Margolis, G. P. Barwood, K. Hosaka +7 more

Forbidden transitions in single laser‐cooled trapped ions provide highly stable and accurate references for optical frequency standards. This paper describes recent progress on strontium and ytterbium ion optical frequency standards under development at NPL.

AIP conference proceedings•Jan 1, 2006•5 citations

Towards a High-Performance Optical Clock Based on Single 171-Yb Ion

Yani Zuo, Shaoyang Dai, Shiying Cao +5 more

With the development of optical frequency comb and ultra-stable laser techniques, the performance of optical frequency standards has been improved significantly over the past decades. Single charged Yb ions have an alkali-like atomic structure and have ultra-long storage time. And the ytterbium single-ion optical frequency standards have two clock transitions (E2 & E3). In this paper, we will introduce the progress in the development of a highly accurate optical frequency standard based on single ytterbium-171 ion at the National Institute of Metrology (NIM), China.

IEEE Optoelectronics Global Conference (OGC)•Sep 15, 2021•2 citations

Indium single ion optical frequency standard

T. Becker, M. Eichenseer, Alexander Yu. Nevsky +5 more

A single laser cooled ion in a radiofrequency trap can serve as the basis for a highly stable optical frequency standard. We present recent results of our work on single indium ions, using the /sup 1/S/sub 0/ to /sup 3/P/sub 0/ transition at 236.5 nm wave-length as the clock transition. This resonance has a linewidth of only 0.82 Hz where systematic shifts should be controllable on the mHz level. A single In/sup +/ ion is stored in a miniature Paul-Straubel trap and laser cooled to a temperature of about 100 /spl mu/K. The clock transition is excited using a frequency quadrupled Nd:YAG laser. A fractional resolution of 1.3/spl middot/10/sup -13/ has been achieved so far (linewidth of 170 Hz at 1267 THz). The absolute frequency of the clock transition clock transition has been measured with an uncertainty of 2/spl middot/10/sup -13/ using a frequency chain and a methane-stabilized HeNe laser as a reference, that was calibrated with a cesium clock.

Joint Conference of the European Frequency and Time Forum and IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium (EFTF/IFCS)•Nov 13, 2002•3 citations

Indium Single-Ion Frequency Standard

Warren Nagourney

A single laser-cooled indium ion is a promising candidate for an ultimate resolution optical time or frequency standard. It can be shown that single ions from group IIIA of the periodic table (indium, thallium, etc.) can have extremely small systematic errors. In addition to being free from Doppler, transit-time and collisional shifts, these ions are also quite insensitive to perturbations from ambient magnetic and electric fields (mainly due to the use of a J=0-0 transition for spectroscopy). Of all group IIIA ions, indium seems to be the most practical, since it is heavy enough to have a tolerable intercombination cooling transition rate and (unlike thallium) has transitions which are easily accessible with frequency multiplied continuous-wave lasers. A single indium ion standard has a potential inaccuracy of one part in 10(exp 18) for integration times of 10(exp 6) seconds. We have made substantial progress during the grant period in constructing a frequency standard based upon a single indium ion. At the beginning of the grant period, single indium ions were being successfully trapped, but the lasers and optical systems were inadequate to achieve the desired goal. We have considerably improved the stability of the dye laser used to cool the ions and locked it to a molecular resonance line, making it possible to observe stable cooling-line fluorescence from a single indium ion for reasonable periods of time, as required by the demands of precision spectroscopy. We have substantially improved the single-ion fluorescence signal with significant benefits for the detection efficiency of forbidden transitions using the 'shelving' technique. Finally, we have constructed a compact, efficient UV 'clock' laser and observed 'clock' transitions in single indium ions using this laser system. We will elaborate on these accomplishments.

•Jan 1, 2001•0 citations
Summary form only given. A single laser-cooled ion held in an electrodynamic trap is a near ideal atomic sample for a frequency standard. The quantum jump technique is used to observe a high-Q forbidden transition in the ion. It has been suggested that the ultimate limit to the reproducibility of a standard of this type will lie in the region of one part in 10/sup 18/.
Forbidden transitions in single trapped ion systems are being considered as references for future optical frequency standards. These standards are expected to have application as highly stable and reproducible optical clocks, realizations of the metre and as optical frequency standards in their own right. This paper prescribes the work carried out at the National Physical Laboratory over recent years to use a highly forbidden 2S1/2 - 2F7/2 467 nm electric octupole transition in a single ion of 171Yb+ as a frequency reference. A review of the previous measurements needed to the locate octupole transition in this 171-isotope is given and a more detailed discussion of recent work is presented. This includes spectroscopy of the octupole transition with kilohertz resolution and a direct measurement of its optical frequency. Measurements of the dynamic Stark and the quadratic Zeeman shifts on the octupole frequency are also discussed.
With the development of optical frequency comb and ultra-stable laser techniques, the performance of optical frequency standards has been improved significantly over the past decades. Single charged Yb ions have an alkali-like atomic structure and have ultra-long storage time. And the ytterbium single-ion optical frequency standards have two clock transitions (E2 & E3). In this paper, we will introduce the progress in the development of a highly accurate optical frequency standard based on single ytterbium-171 ion at the National Institute of Metrology (NIM), China.
A single laser cooled ion in a radiofrequency trap can serve as the basis for a highly stable optical frequency standard. We present recent results of our work on single indium ions, using the /sup 1/S/sub 0/ to /sup 3/P/sub 0/ transition at 236.5 nm wave-length as the clock transition. This resonance has a linewidth of only 0.82 Hz where systematic shifts should be controllable on the mHz level. A single In/sup +/ ion is stored in a miniature Paul-Straubel trap and laser cooled to a temperature of about 100 /spl mu/K. The clock transition is excited using a frequency quadrupled Nd:YAG laser. A fractional resolution of 1.3/spl middot/10/sup -13/ has been achieved so far (linewidth of 170 Hz at 1267 THz). The absolute frequency of the clock transition clock transition has been measured with an uncertainty of 2/spl middot/10/sup -13/ using a frequency chain and a methane-stabilized HeNe laser as a reference, that was calibrated with a cesium clock.
A single laser-cooled indium ion is a promising candidate for an ultimate resolution optical time or frequency standard. It can be shown that single ions from group IIIA of the periodic table (indium, thallium, etc.) can have extremely small systematic errors. In addition to being free from Doppler, transit-time and collisional shifts, these ions are also quite insensitive to perturbations from ambient magnetic and electric fields (mainly due to the use of a J=0-0 transition for spectroscopy). Of all group IIIA ions, indium seems to be the most practical, since it is heavy enough to have a tolerable intercombination cooling transition rate and (unlike thallium) has transitions which are easily accessible with frequency multiplied continuous-wave lasers. A single indium ion standard has a potential inaccuracy of one part in 10(exp 18) for integration times of 10(exp 6) seconds. We have made substantial progress during the grant period in constructing a frequency standard based upon a single indium ion. At the beginning of the grant period, single indium ions were being successfully trapped, but the lasers and optical systems were inadequate to achieve the desired goal. We have considerably improved the stability of the dye laser used to cool the ions and locked it to a molecular resonance line, making it possible to observe stable cooling-line fluorescence from a single indium ion for reasonable periods of time, as required by the demands of precision spectroscopy. We have substantially improved the single-ion fluorescence signal with significant benefits for the detection efficiency of forbidden transitions using the 'shelving' technique. Finally, we have constructed a compact, efficient UV 'clock' laser and observed 'clock' transitions in single indium ions using this laser system. We will elaborate on these accomplishments.