Frequency-comb based spectroscopy of the Yb I 399 nm transition

Qudsia Sara Quraishi, David Hayes, David Hucul +4 more

N. Kimura, Masatoshi Kajita

Akio Kawasaki, Takumi Kobayashi, Akiko Nishiyama +2 more

We report on the observation of the $4f^{14}6s^{2}~^1S_0- 4f^{13}5d6s^{2}(J=2)$ transition at 431 nm in $^{171}$Yb by depleting atoms in a magneto-optical trap formed by the $6s^{2}~^1S_0-6s6p~^3P_1$ intercombination transition. The absolute frequency of the transition to the $F=3/2$ state is determined to be $695~171~054~858.1(8.2)$~kHz against physical realization of Coordinated Universal Time maintained by the National Metrology Institute of Japan with a frequency comb. The $g$ factor of the transition to the $F=3/2$ state and the A hyperfine constant are measured to be $g_J=1.54(13)$ and 1123.354(13)~MHz, respectively. More precise spectroscopy of this transition can lead to searches for time variation of the fine structure constant and searches for new physics with isotope shift measurements.

Chris W. Oates, Chad Hoyt, Zeb W. Barber +3 more

This work has focused on two atoms, Sr and Yb, due in part to the relatively high abundance of their odd isotopes, the use of which is necessary for appreciable direct excitation probability. The Sr clock transition has been measured (with an uncertainty of 20 kHz) using atoms in a magneto-optic trap (MOT), and has been excited with atoms confined in a one dimensional lattice. Here we report direct excitation of the Yb clock transition (at 578 nm) with atoms in a second-stage MOT, and the first fs-laser comb-based absolute measurements of the clock frequency for two different isotopes. These measurements lead to a nearly millionfold improvement in our knowledge of the transition frequencies, an important step toward Doppler-free spectroscopy of Yb atoms in a lattice.

Chr. Tamm, T. Schneider, E. Peik

Chris W. Oates, Chad Hoyt, Zeb W. Barber +3 more

This work has focused on two atoms, Sr and Yb, due in part to the relatively high abundance of their odd isotopes, the use of which is necessary for appreciable direct excitation probability. The Sr clock transition has been measured (with an uncertainty of 20 kHz) using atoms in a magneto-optic trap (MOT), and has been excited with atoms confined in a one dimensional lattice. Here we report direct excitation of the Yb clock transition (at 578 nm) with atoms in a second-stage MOT, and the first fs-laser comb-based absolute measurements of the clock frequency for two different isotopes. These measurements lead to a nearly millionfold improvement in our knowledge of the transition frequencies, an important step toward Doppler-free spectroscopy of Yb atoms in a lattice.