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Bulletin of the Lebedev Physics Institute

Compact Transportable Optical Standard Based on a Single 171Yb+ Ion (“YBIS” Project)

Ilya A. Semerikov, Ksenia Yu. Khabarova, Ilia V. Zalivako, Alexander S. Borisenko, N. Kolachevsky

Published Nov 1, 2018• 20 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The schematic diagram of the compact transportable optical frequency standard based on the quadrupole transition in a single 171 Yb + ion with a relative instability at the levelx of 5 · 10 −16 , less than 1m 3 in volume and less than 300 kg in weight is presented. The ionic trap and laser systems are described. Trapping and laser cooling of the 174 Yb + ion are experimentally demonstrated.

DOI
10.3103/s1068335618110039

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The schematic diagram of the compact transportable optical frequency standard based on the quadrupole transition in a single 171 Yb + ion with a relative instability at the levelx of 5 · 10 −16 , less than 1m 3 in volume and less than 300 kg in weight is presented. The ionic trap and laser systems are described. Trapping and laser cooling of the 174 Yb + ion are experimentally demonstrated.
The paper describes the results achieved in the development of the compact transportable fully automated optical clock based on a single 171Yb+ ion in a radiofrequency (RF) quadrupole trap. The resulted measurements demonstrated the 4.9E-16 output RF signal relative instability on 1000 s integration time with 298.1 kg weight, 0.921 volume, and 2.766 kW input power consumption of the device. A transformation of the ultrastable optical signal into the RF range was performed via the optical frequency comb with a supercontinuum fiber laser generator. The transformation was conducted without loss of initial stability and accuracy characteristics of the signal.
The171Yb+ion possesses two transitions that are applicable as references for optical frequency standards and several general features make this ion attractive: All relevant radiations for cooling and excitation can be generated from diode lasers. A nuclear spin of 1/2 ensures a simple sublevel structure. Long storage times of Yb+in ion traps are easily obtained. The2S1/2(F = 0) →2D3/2(F = 2, mF= 0) electric quadrupole transition at 436 nm with a natural linewidth of 3.1 Hz provides a quantum noise limited instability of a single-ion frequency standard of about 2 × 10-15in 1 s. The electric octupole transition2S1/2(F = 0)→2F7/2(F = 3, mF= 0) at 467 nm with a natural linewidth in the nHz range will allow to surpass that instability level. It also possesses a lower sensitivity to field-induced frequency shifts. In this system the Fourier-limited interrogation linewidth can be adapted to that of the best available laser sources, which are presently at the level below 1 Hz. Both transitions have been recommended as secondary representations of the SI second.
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.
Abstract We report the results of studying a compact laser system designed for manipulating a quantum state of the optical qubit based on the 2S1/2 → 2D3/2 quadrupole transition in the 171Yb+ ion at a wavelength of 435.5 nm. An emission power of the laser system reaches 500 μW at λ = 435.5 nm and the relative frequency instability of at most 3 × 10−15 is achieved at averaging intervals from 0.5 to 50 s with a subtracted linear frequency drift. The compactness of the developed system makes it possible to employ it in transportable systems including optical clocks.
We present the setup of our optical frequency standard (OFS) “TOPTICLOCK”. It is based on the 2S1/2 (F=0) – 2D3/2 (F=2) electric quadrupole transition at 435.5 nm of a single laser-cooled and trapped 171Yb+ ion. All required subsystems are contained in two transportable 19” rack compartments. By comparing it with a laboratory-style OFS of the German National Metrology Institute (PTB), which operates on the 467 nm electric octupole transition, using a TOPTICA DFC optical frequency comb, a frequency instability of 5×10-15/√τ with systematic uncertainty below 2×10-17 was demonstrated. The performance of TOPTICLOCK was also benchmarked by directly comparing it to another OFS operating also at the 435.5 nm clock transition. An agreement between both systems with a total uncertainty well below 10-17 was obtained.