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Quantum Information and Measurement (QIM)

Single-Ion Clocks for Tests of Fundamental Physics and Applications in Quantum Technology

Nils Huntemann, Christian Sanner, R. Lange, Moustafa Abdel Hafiz, J. Zhang, H. Shao, Chr. Tamm, E. Peik

Published Jan 1, 2019• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

From long-term frequency comparisons of our two 171Yb+ single-ion optical frequency standards with a millihertz uncertainty we improve previous limits for violations of Local Lorentz Invariance by two orders of magnitude. In addition, recent improvement in the clock performance will be discussed and our contribution to the opticlock project that will be a robust, high-availability and easy-to-use optical clock, which can be operated outside of specialized laboratories.

DOI
10.1364/qim.2019.s3d.1

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From long-term frequency comparisons of our two 171Yb+ single-ion optical frequency standards with a millihertz uncertainty we improve previous limits for violations of Local Lorentz Invariance by two orders of magnitude. In addition, recent improvement in the clock performance will be discussed and our contribution to the opticlock project that will be a robust, high-availability and easy-to-use optical clock, which can be operated outside of specialized laboratories.
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We report on a transportable and easy-to-operate optical clock utilizing the 2S1/2 - 2D3/2 transition of a single trapped 171Yb+ ion at 436 nm. Developed within a pilot project for quantum technology in Germany lead by industry, the clock is set up in two 19″ racks. In this way, transportation can easily be realized, and the large degree of automatization allows for operation outside highly specialized laboratories for applications beyond basic research. Comparisons to existing high-accuracy optical clock systems enable a verification of the clock's stability and uncertainty budget at the low 10−17 level. During these tests, operation with 99.8% availability over more than 14 days has been achieved.
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Transitions between discrete energy levels in well-isolated atomic systems are highly reproducible and therefore make ideal references for highly accurate frequency standards or clocks. In particular, a single laser-cooled ion confined in a radiofrequency ion trap closely approximates the spectroscopic ideal of a particle at rest in a perturbation-free environment. Narrow optical transitions in such systems are therefore very promising for the realization of optical clocks with accuracy around 2 orders of magnitude higher than current microwave primary standards. In this paper the fundamental aspects, current performance and applications of trapped ion optical clocks are reviewed and the potential for future improvements is considered.
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