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Optical frequency standards based on trapped ions

Ke Gao

Published Jan 1, 2010• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

New optical frequency standards are being developed with laser technology and cold atoms.In this article the relationship between laser technology and optical frequency standards is briefly reviewed.Emphasis will be placed upon the general principle and recent progress in the establishment of optical frequency standards based on trapped ions.

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New optical frequency standards are being developed with laser technology and cold atoms.In this article the relationship between laser technology and optical frequency standards is briefly reviewed.Emphasis will be placed upon the general principle and recent progress in the establishment of optical frequency standards based on trapped ions.
The stability and accuracy of atomic microwave frequency standards (atomic clocks) have been improving at a rate exceeding one order of magnitude per decade for the past 30 years. This sustained improvement has been driven mainly by the many and diverse technological applications requiring highly stable and accurate time and frequency standards. There is no reason to suspect that this rate of progress is slowing. Over the last decade, research and development in atomic frequency standards has tended increasingly towards the use of atom and ion trapping technologies to approach the supposedly ideal unperturbed atomic frequency reference consisting of a single atom or ion either motionless or in free-fall in a perfect, field-free vacuum. This work has been facilitated by the relatively recent development of techniques whereby laser light is used to cool, confine and manipulate atoms or ions. This paper reviews the current status of atomic microwave frequency standards based on trapped atoms and trapped ions, and attempts to explain the motivation for their development and the principles of their operation, with particular emphasis on the physics of factors which limit their performance.
Optical frequency standards based on narrow absorptions in laser-cooled single trapped ions have recently begun to demonstrate stabilities that are competitive with cold atom fountain microwave standards. This paper presents a short review of the wider state-of-the-art development of these single cold trapped ion frequency standards, coupled with a more detailed account of recent results achieved at National Physical Laboratory in respect of single ion systems based on 88Sr+, 87Sr+ and 171Yb+. Narrow linewidth data for the optical clock quadrupole and octupole transitions respectively at 674 nm in 88Sr+ and 467 nm in 171Yb+, are presented, together with a discussion of current systematics and future projections. The potential for optical clock operation is outlined.
Weak transitions in single cold trapped ions are highly reproducible as optical frequency standards on account of the high quality factors and stabilities achievable. In recent years, there has been a quickening pace in the development of these optical frequency standards, particularly due to the emergence of femtosecond laser combs for relating the optical frequency directly to the Cs standard. This paper reports progress on optical frequency standards based on the quadrupole transition in a single cold ion of 88 Sr + and the octupole transition in a single cold ion of 171 Yb + .
Optical atomic clocks based on laser-cooled trapped ions and atoms have advanced rapidly over the past decade. With fractional frequency uncertainties now surpassing 10 −18 , they are some of the most precise measurement tools ever built. Yet researchers are still pursuing new avenues of research to explore the fundamental limits to their stability, accuracy, and reproducibility. In this mini-review, we provide a survey of the current state of the art by describing the fundamental principles and techniques that underpin this progress, the architectures used to realize optical clocks, and the supporting laser technologies that are essential to their operation. We also examine the progress that has been made toward a redefinition of the second in the International System of Units and the inclusion of optical clocks into the global time and frequency metrology infrastructure. Finally, we discuss emerging applications of optical clocks and look at the prospects for making their precision more readily accessible to end users.