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IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement

Optical frequency standards based on the /sup 199/Hg/sup +/ ion

U. Tanaka, Jonas Bergquist, S. Bize, Scott A. Diddams, Robert E. Drullinger, Leo W. Hollberg, Wayne M. Itano, Carol E. Tanner, David J. Wineland

Published Apr 1, 2003• 10 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report on work directed toward the systematic evaluation of an optical frequency standard based on the /sup 2/S/sub 1/2/-/sup 2/D/sub 5/2/ transition of a single, laser-cooled, trapped /sup 199/Hg/sup +/ ion, whose resonance frequency is 1.06/spl times/10/sup 15/ Hz. For the purpose of the evaluation, a second /sup 199/Hg/sup +/ standard has been constructed. In the cooling-laser system built for the second standard, an injection-locking scheme has been applied to a CW Ti-sapphire laser. We also report optical frequency measurements of the clock transition performed over the past 21 months with the first standard. During this term, the variation of the clock transition frequency is found to be less than /spl plusmn/1/spl times/10/sup -14/.

DOI
10.1109/tim.2003.810008

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Joint Conference of the European Frequency and Time Forum and IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium (EFTF/IFCS)•Jan 22, 2003•1 citation
We report on work directed toward the systematic evaluation of an optical frequency standard based on the /sup 2/S/sub 1/2/-/sup 2/D/sub 5/2/ transition of a single, laser-cooled, trapped /sup 199/Hg/sup +/ ion, whose resonance frequency is 1.06/spl times/10/sup 15/ Hz. For the purpose of the evaluation, a second /sup 199/Hg/sup +/ standard has been constructed. In the cooling-laser system built for the second standard, an injection-locking scheme has been applied to a CW Ti-sapphire laser. We also report optical frequency measurements of the clock transition performed over the past 21 months with the first standard. During this term, the variation of the clock transition frequency is found to be less than /spl plusmn/1/spl times/10/sup -14/.
We report on work directed toward the system- atic evaluation of an optical frequency standard based on the - transition of a single, laser-cooled, trapped Hg ion, whose resonance frequency is 1.06 10 Hz. For the purpose of the evaluation, a second Hg standard has been con- structed. In the cooling-laser system built for the second standard, an injection-locking scheme has been applied to a CW Ti-sapphire laser. We also report optical frequency measurements of the clock transition performed over the past 21 months with the first standard. During this term, the variation of the clock transition frequency is found to be less than 1 10 . Index Terms—Injection-locked laser, mercury ion, optical fre- quency standard.
We report on work directed toward the systematic evaluation of an optical frequency standard based on the 2 S 1/2 – 2 D 5/2 transition of a single, laser-cooled, trapped 199 Hg + ion, whose resonance frequency is 1.06 × 10 15 Hz. For the purpose of the evaluation, two 199 Hg + standards have been constructed. In the cooling-laser system built for the second standard, an injection-locking scheme has been applied to a cw Ti:sapphire laser. We also report optical frequency measurements of the clock transition performed over the past 21 months with the first standard. During this term, the variation of the clock transition frequency is found to be less than one part in 10 14 .
We describe experimental investigations of an optical frequency standard based on a single laser-cooled /sup 171/Yb/sup +/ ion confined in a radiofrequency Paul trap. The electric quadrupole transition from the /sup 2/S/sub 1/2 /(F=0) ground state to the /sup 2/D/sub 3/2/(F=2) state at 435.5 nm is used as the reference transition. The transition was resolved with a Fourier-limited width of approximately 30 Hz. In order to investigate the instability and accuracy of a future frequency standard based on the reference transition, a first experiment was done comparing two laser frequencies stabilized individually to two separate ions in different traps. As a result we found a relative frequency instability /spl sigma//sub y/(640 s)=1.5/spl middot/10/sup -15/ for the difference of the two laser frequencies. We also derived a first estimate /spl Theta/(/sup 2/D/sub 3/2/)=(3.9/spl plusmn/1.9)ea/sub 0//sup 2/ for the electric quadrupole moment of the /sup 2/D/sub 3/2/ state.
We are developing an optical frequency standard based on the narrow /sup 2/S/sub 1/2/-/sup 2/D/sub 5/2/ electric-quadrupole transition of a single trapped /sup 199/Hg/sup +/ ion. Small linear traps designed to operate at liquid helium temperatures have been constructed which will provide confinement in the Lamb-Dicke regime for the optical transition. Cryogenic operation yields long ion storage times and significantly suppresses frequency shifts due to collisions and blackbody radiation. A major step toward the completion of this standard has been the construction and evaluation of a well isolated, high-finesse, Fabry-Perot cavity to stabilize the frequency of the interrogating laser. We report our cavity results and progress toward locking the laser frequency to the transition in the stored ion.
A cryogenic linear rf trap has been constructed to study the accuracy of a clock based on laser cooled /sup 199/Hg/sup +/. Crystals of tens of ions have been observed. The residual micromotion of the ions has been minimized and Ramsey interrogation periods of 25 s have been demonstrated for the 40.5 GHz transition. This system should eventually provide a frequency standard of high precision and accuracy. We report on the development of compact, efficient, solid-state sources at 194 nm and 282 nm for laser cooling of /sup 199/Hg/sup +/ and investigation of the /sup 2/S/sub 1/2//spl rarr//sup 2/D/sub 5/2/ quadrupole transition of interest for an optical frequency standard.
We are investigating the 5s/sup 21/S/sub 0//spl rarr/5s5p/sup 3/P/sub 0/ transition of a single trapped laser-cooled /sup 115/In/sup +/ ion as a possible optical frequency standard. This line with a natural linewidth of only 1.1 Hz, corresponding to a Q factor of 1.2/spl middot/10/sup 15/, is highly immune to systematic frequency shifts due to external perturbations. For sideband laser cooling and fluorescence detection of the indium ion the 5s/sup 21/S/sub 0//spl rarr/5s5p/sup 3/P/sub 1/ transition at 230.6 nm is excited. Temperatures below 100 /spl mu/K and a mean vibrational quantum number<1 of the ion in the trap have been reached. For the clock transition a resolution of 3/spl middot/10/sup -13/ (linewidth 350 Hz) has been obtained so far, limited by the laser linewidth. The absolute frequency of the /sup 1/S/sub 0//spl rarr//sup 3/P/sub 0/ transition was measured by making a link to known reference frequencies of molecular iodine and methane using a frequency chain.