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

Probing Ca/sup +/ ions in a miniature trap

Martina Knoop, Mustapha Said Herbane, M. Houssin, T. Pawletko, M. Vedel, F. Vedel

Published Jan 22, 2003• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The electric quadrupole transition of confined Ca/sup +/ ions has been proposed as a frequency standard in the visible domain. To access metrologic conditions, we have built a cylindrical miniature trap, allowing to obtain high frequencies of motion and preparing the access to the Lamb-Dicke regime where the first order Doppler broadening is suppressed. Laser cooling and interrogation of the confined ions require lasers at 397 nm and at 729 nm. We propose the generation of these wavelengths using multimode laser diodes and a frequency-doubling set-up.

DOI
10.1109/freq.1999.841400

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Summary form only given. Among the ions proposed for a frequency standard in the optical domain, Ca/sup +/ is one of the most favorable candidates due to its wavelengths accessible with all-solid-state laser systems. This allows to imagine an ultimate experimental setup being simple and compact. The 4S/sub 1/2/-3D/sub 5/2/ electric quadrupole transition at 729 nm with a natural linewidth below 1 Hz serves as clock transition, while laser cooling on one of the resonance lines is carried out at 397 nm. To obtain the small spectral linewidths necessary for a frequency standard performance, it is essential to reduce the residual Doppler broadening caused by the RF heating in the Paul trap. The first-order Doppler broadening of a single ion can be eliminated in the Lamb-Dicke regime where the ion's amplitude of motion is inferior to the emitted wavelength. The main condition for the access of this frequency modulation regime is a high motional frequency of the trapped ion. This is more easily obtained in a low capacitance device and thus traps with reduced dimensions are required. We have set up a miniature ion trap of the Paul-Straubel-type. The stored ions are observed by a photomultiplier in the photon-counting mode as well as by an intensified CCD camera, permitting the visualization of their spatial behavior. Laser cooling of the Ca/sup +/ ions is carried out on the 4S/sub 1/2/-4P/sup 1/2/ resonance line at 397 nm. Progress on the characterization of the trapped single ion as well as on the generation of the involved wavelengths exclusively by solid-state lasers is reported.

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A prestabilized 674-nm diode laser has been narrowed by locking it to a high-finesse ultra-low-expansion cavity and kilohertz error signals have been observed. Lamb-Dicke confinement of single laser cooled Sr/sup +/ ions in a miniature rf trap has been demonstrated and micromotion reduction achieved. RF trap sidebands have been observed on the Sr/sup + 2/S/sub 1/2/-/sup 2/D/sub 5/2/ 674 mm clock transition. The transition frequency has been measured to be (444779043.98/spl plusmn/0.12) MHz (2/spl sigma/).

IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement•Apr 1, 1997•25 citations
The electric quadrupole transition of confined Ca/sup +/ ions has been proposed as a frequency standard in the visible domain. To access metrologic conditions, we have built a cylindrical miniature trap, allowing to obtain high frequencies of motion and preparing the access to the Lamb-Dicke regime where the first order Doppler broadening is suppressed. Laser cooling and interrogation of the confined ions require lasers at 397 nm and at 729 nm. We propose the generation of these wavelengths using multimode laser diodes and a frequency-doubling set-up.
Summary form only given. Among the ions proposed for a frequency standard in the optical domain, Ca/sup +/ is one of the most favorable candidates due to its wavelengths accessible with all-solid-state laser systems. This allows to imagine an ultimate experimental setup being simple and compact. The 4S/sub 1/2/-3D/sub 5/2/ electric quadrupole transition at 729 nm with a natural linewidth below 1 Hz serves as clock transition, while laser cooling on one of the resonance lines is carried out at 397 nm. To obtain the small spectral linewidths necessary for a frequency standard performance, it is essential to reduce the residual Doppler broadening caused by the RF heating in the Paul trap. The first-order Doppler broadening of a single ion can be eliminated in the Lamb-Dicke regime where the ion's amplitude of motion is inferior to the emitted wavelength. The main condition for the access of this frequency modulation regime is a high motional frequency of the trapped ion. This is more easily obtained in a low capacitance device and thus traps with reduced dimensions are required. We have set up a miniature ion trap of the Paul-Straubel-type. The stored ions are observed by a photomultiplier in the photon-counting mode as well as by an intensified CCD camera, permitting the visualization of their spatial behavior. Laser cooling of the Ca/sup +/ ions is carried out on the 4S/sub 1/2/-4P/sup 1/2/ resonance line at 397 nm. Progress on the characterization of the trapped single ion as well as on the generation of the involved wavelengths exclusively by solid-state lasers is reported.
The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology in Japan is proceeding with development of an optical frequency standard using an electric quadrupole transition of Ca+ ions in a small radio-frequency trap. The single, trapped 40Ca+ ions are laser cooled to a temperature of <10 mK using extended-cavity diode lasers at 397 nm and 866 nm. In order to measure the electric quadrupole transition, the linewidth of the clock laser diode at 729 nm is reduced to ~66 Hz using an ultra-low-expansion (ULE) cavity. We observed the electric quadrupole transition with a linewidth of ~600 kHz, together with the ionic motional sidebands. We are also developing optical frequency combs without photonic fibers broadening the spectrum. The experimental is now improved in order to observe the narrower linewidth of the quadrupole transition.
An optical frequency standard based on the $S\text{\ensuremath{-}}D$ transition of trapped 43Ca+^{43}\mathrm{Ca}^{+}43Ca+ is possible by using just laser diodes for cooling and probing. We discuss two open problems related to the feasibility of this frequency standard, the attainable frequency uncertainty and the method of initial-state preparation. The uncertainty of the clock transition frequency can be so small as $1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}15}$. Using a laser system consisting of three lasers at different detunings and polarizations, the ion can be cooled down to the Lamb-Dicke regime and then prepared in the m=0m=0m=0 state within a period much shorter than the cooling period without being heated. The details of our numerical simulation are described.
Efficient Three-Dimensional Sub-Doppler Cooling of 40^{40}40Ca+^++ in a Penning Trap
We demonstrate efficient sub-Doppler laser cooling of the three eigenmodes of a 40^{40}40Ca+^++ ion confined in a compact Penning trap operating with a magnetic field of 0.91 T. Using the same set of laser beams as required for the initial Doppler laser cooling operation, we detune the laser frequencies to produce a narrow two-photon dark resonance. The process achieves a 1/e cooling time constant of 108(8) μμμs, ultimately reducing the mean thermal axial mode occupation from 72(23) to 1.5(3) in 800 μμμs as measured by resonantly probing an electric quadrupole transition near 729 nm. A parametric drive is applied to the trap electrodes which coherently exchanges the axial mode occupation with that of each radial mode, allowing for three-dimensional sub-Doppler cooling using only the axially-propagating laser beams. This sub-Doppler cooling is achieved for an axial oscillation frequency of $ω_z = 2π~\times~$221 kHz, which places the motion well outside of the Lamb Dicke confinement regime at the Doppler laser cooling limit. Our measured cooling rate and final mode occupation are in good agreement with a semiclassical model which combines a Lindblad master equation solution for ion-photon interactions with classical harmonic oscillator motion of the trapped ion.
A prestabilized 674-nm diode laser has been narrowed by locking it to a high-finesse ultra-low-expansion cavity and kilohertz error signals have been observed. Lamb-Dicke confinement of single laser cooled Sr/sup +/ ions in a miniature rf trap has been demonstrated and micromotion reduction achieved. RF trap sidebands have been observed on the Sr/sup + 2/S/sub 1/2/-/sup 2/D/sub 5/2/ 674 mm clock transition. The transition frequency has been measured to be (444779043.98/spl plusmn/0.12) MHz (2/spl sigma/).