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Quantum Information and Measurement (QIM)

Towards a quantum-enhanced trapped-atom clock on a chip

Meng-Zi Huang, Tommaso Mazzoni, Carlos L. Garrido Alzar, Jakob Reichel

Published Jan 1, 2019• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

We report preliminary results of a quantum-enhanced atom chip clock. Using ultracold rubidium atoms inside an on-chip optical cavity, we investigate light-induced spin squeezing and non-destructive measurements at 10E-13 level of relative frequency stability.
DOI
10.1364/qim.2019.t5a.32

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Using the platform of a trapped-atom clock on a chip, we have generated spin-squeezed states and observed their time evolution on unprecedented timescales, showing that metrological spin squeezing is preserved for one second. We observe up to 8.1(9) dB of metrological squeezing in a cloud of 2times1042times 10^42times104 ultracold alkali atoms by quantum nondemolition (QND) measurement in a fiber Fabry-Perot microcavity. The experiment also reveals a surprising amplification effect in the final cavity measurement of the spin state. It results from a subtle interplay between the cavity coupling and the spin dynamics originating from cold collisions. Spin dynamics such as these are an important factor in real atomic clocks that previous proof-of-principle squeezing experiments had not been able to address. Our results open up encouraging perspectives for squeezing-enhanced atomic clocks in a metrologically relevant stability regime.
We present a compact atomic clock interrogating ultracold 87Rb magnetically trapped on an atom chip. Very long coherence times sustained by spin self-rephasing allow us to interrogate the atomic transition with 85% contrast at 5 s Ramsey time. The clock exhibits a fractional frequency stability of 5.8×10−135.8\times 10^{-13}5.8×10−13 at 1 s and is likely to integrate into the 1×10−151\times10^{-15}1×10−15 range in less than a day. A detailed analysis of 7 noise sources explains the measured frequency stability. Fluctuations in the atom temperature (0.4 nK shot-to-shot) and in the offset magnetic field (5×10−65\times10^{-6}5×10−6 relative fluctuations shot-to-shot) are the main noise sources together with the local oscillator, which is degraded by the 30% duty cycle. The analysis suggests technical improvements to be implemented in a future second generation set-up. The results demonstrate the remarkable degree of technical control that can be reached in an atom chip experiment.
Using the platform of a trapped-atom clock on a chip, we observe the time evolution of spin-squeezed hyperfine clock states in ultracold rubidium atoms on previously inaccessible time scales up to 1 s.The spin degree of freedom remains squeezed after 0.6 s, which is consistent with the limit imposed by particle loss and is compatible with typical Ramsey times in state-of-the-art microwave clocks.The results also reveal a surprising spin-exchange interaction effect that amplifies the cavity-based spin measurement via a correlation between spin and external degrees of freedom.These results open up perspectives for squeezing-enhanced atomic clocks in a metrologically relevant regime and highlight the importance of spin interactions in real-life applications of spin squeezing.
The feasibility and potential performance of optical clocks based on all-optical atom chips using neutral strontium atoms have been investigated. The key benefits of all-optical atom chips are their ability to trap alkali-earth atoms, and how easily these atoms can be manipulated and examined. The planar configuration of the chip enables ring photonic resonators to be incorporated into its structure, making it a promising candidate for active optical atomic clocks. Using the 'magic wavelengths' of the trapping optical fields (813 nm and 390 nm for strontium atoms) minimises frequency shifts in the intercombination clock transition caused by variations in optical field intensity. However, this frequency shift can be compensated for using optical AC Stark shifts, which are generated by the trapping optical fields and have frequencies below the 'magic frequencies'. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that atom chip clocks can operate using solely repulsive, blue-detuned evanescent light fields when the attraction of the trapped atoms towards the photonic waveguide is realised through van der Waals forces alone. According to estimates, this could result in the short-term fractional frequency stability of the strontium atom-chip optical clocks being limited to ~10^{-16} per second, with an accuracy of about 5 x 10^{-15} for fractional intensity stability in the trapping light fields of 0.001.
Using the platform of a trapped-atom clock on a chip, we have generated spin-squeezed states with up to 8.1(9) dB of metrological squeezing in a cloud of 2×1042\times 10^42×104 ultracold alkali atoms by quantum nondemolition (QND) measurement in a fiber Fabry-Perot microcavity. Observing the time evolution of the squeezed state on unprecedented timescales of more than one second reveals a surprising measurement amplification effect in the final measurement of the spin state. It results from a subtle interplay between the spin dynamics of interacting indistinguishable particles and energy-dependent cavity coupling and leads to an increased cavity shift per spin, and thus to a higher signal per photon read out. Metrological spin squeezing is preserved for 1 s. Both results open up encouraging perspectives for squeezing-enhanced atomic clocks in a metrologically relevant stability regime.