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

Design considerations for a 87Sr optical clock at VNIIFTRI

S. Sluysarev, A S Kostin, V. N. Baryshev, Ksenia Yu. Khabarova, Vitalii G Pal'chikov

Published May 1, 2011• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report on progress made at the VNIIFTRI towards a87Sr optical clock. A detailed description of the main parts of the apparatus is given together with the preliminary measurements characterizing step by step the cooling and trapping of the strontium atoms. The Sr-MOT is operative and the first observation the cloud of cold atoms in the blue MOT is reported.

DOI
10.1109/fcs.2011.5977896

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We report on progress made at the VNIIFTRI towards a87Sr optical clock. A detailed description of the main parts of the apparatus is given together with the preliminary measurements characterizing step by step the cooling and trapping of the strontium atoms. The Sr-MOT is operative and the first observation the cloud of cold atoms in the blue MOT is reported.
Optical atomic clocks with precisions and accuracies in the 10−^-−1^118^88 level [1] are now the most advanced man-made timekeeping devices. They outperform the microwave cesium atomic clocks that realize the SI definition of the second. Scaling down the size of optical atomic clocks may open the door to a range of industrial and space applications. In this thesis, the design and preliminary results of a compact strontium cooling system are presented. In the first cooling stage, the high power 461 nm laser with 300 mW output features a modular design, while smaller laser sources for demonstrating a strontium magneto-optical trap have also been investigated. An innovative design that couples a spectroscopy cell directly into the scientific chamber reduces the overall size and power consumption of the system. Additionally, using strontium oxide as a source of strontium atoms suitable for optical clocks has achieved initial success. For the first time, a single-beam MOT configuration is applied to strontium. In this novel apparatus, the blue MOT and red MOT broadband cooling phases are able to trap 5x106^66 and 1000 atoms, respectively. This work shows promising progress towards developing a functional miniaturized strontium optical lattice clock.
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.
As a key component of a strontium based optical clock, we have developed an apparatus which allows laser cooling and trapping of more than 10/sup 7/ /sup 88/Sr atoms to temperatures below 1 /spl mu/K. Using this system, we have performed the first high accuracy measurement of the /sup 88/Sr /sup 1/S/sub 0/-/sup 3/P/sub 1/ clock transition using an ultra-cold sample. Detailed descriptions of both the measurement technique and corresponding systematic uncertainties is provided. In addition, by varying the density of the ultra-cold /sup 88/Sr sample over a range of three orders of magnitude we obtain the first definitive measurement of a density-related frequency shift and linewidth broadening of an optical clock transition in an ultra-cold alkaline earth system. Spectroscopy of the /sub 1/S/sub 0/-/sup 3/P/sub 0/ transition is currently underway using this narrow probe laser and an octave spanning femtosecond laser. Our most recent results are presented. The proposed measurement technique, accuracy, and stability of an optical clock based on the EIT (electromagnetically-induced-transparency) measurement in /sup 88/Sr are described.
We present a detailed investigation of strontium magneto-optical trap (MOT) dynamics. Relevant physical quantities in the trap, such as temperature, atom number and density, and loss channels and lifetime, are explored with respect to various trap parameters. By studying the oscillatory response of a two-level 1S0–1P1 88Sr MOT, we firmly establish the laser cooling dynamics predicted by Doppler theory. Measurements of the MOT temperature, however, deviate severely from Doppler theory predictions, implying significant additional heating mechanisms. To explore the feasibility of attaining quantum degenerate alkaline-earth samples via evaporative cooling, we also present the first experimental demonstration of magnetically trapped metastable 88Sr. Furthermore, motivated by the goal of establishing the fermionic isotope 87Sr as one of the highest-quality, neutral-atom-based optical frequency standards, we present a preliminary study of sub-Doppler cooling in a 87Sr MOT. A dual-isotope (87Sr and 88Sr) MOT is also demonstrated.