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Gravitational Dephasing in Optical Lattice Clocks

Akio Kawasaki

Published Jul 6, 2021• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Optical lattice clocks can now resolve the height difference below 1 cm by means of the gravitational redshift. Further improvement in the stability enables the clocks to resolve the height difference of subsystems within an atomic ensemble that is conventionally interrogated as a single coherent spin state, resulting in the dephasing of the coherent spin state. This effect is observable with a clock of the stability of $\sim 10^{-21}$ by introducing single layer resolved imaging system for three dimensional optical lattice, and limits the 1 s stability of the clock at $10^{-19}$ without proper compensations. This can be the first observation of the decoherence of a quantum state by a gravitational effect, and the suppression of other systematic shifts to observe this gravitational dephasing seems feasible.

Related papers

Decoherence of Atomic Ensembles in Optical Lattice Clocks by Gravity

Akio Kawasaki

Optical lattice clocks can now resolve the height difference below 1 mm within an atomic ensemble by means of gravitational redshift with integration over sufficient amount of time. Further improvement in the stability enables the clocks to resolve the height difference of subsystems within an atomic ensemble that is conventionally interrogated as a single coherent spin state in a single Ramsey sequence, resulting in the dephasing of the coherent spin state. This effect is observable with a clock of a stability of $\lesssim 10^{-21}$ by introducing a single-layer-resolved imaging system for a three-dimensional optical lattice, and limits the 1 s stability of the clock around $10^{-19}$ for an atomic ensemble distributing symmetrically for the three axes, which is also a signal of the decoherence. With atoms in an entangled state, this can be the first observation of the decoherence of a quantum state by a gravitational effect, and the suppression of other systematic shifts to observe this decoherence seems feasible.

arXiv:2107.02405•Journal of the Physical Society of Japan•Feb 2, 2022•1 citation

High precision differential clock comparisons with a multiplexed optical lattice clock

Xin Zheng, Jonathan Dolde, Varun Lochab +3 more

Rapid progress in the precision and accuracy of optical atomic clocks over the last decade has advanced the frontiers of timekeeping, metrology, and quantum science. However, the stabilities of most optical clocks remain limited by the local oscillator rather than the atoms themselves, leaving room for further progress. Here we implement a "multiplexed" one-dimensional optical lattice clock, in which spatially-resolved, movable ensembles of ultra-cold strontium atoms are trapped in the same optical lattice, interrogated simultaneously by a shared clock laser, and read-out in parallel. By performing synchronized Ramsey interrogations of ensemble pairs we observe atom-atom coherence times up to 26 seconds, a 270-fold improvement over the atom-laser coherence time, demonstrate a relative stability of $9.7(4)\times10^{-18}/\sqrtτ$ (where $τ$ is the averaging time in seconds), and reach a fractional uncertainty of $8.9(3)\times 10^{-20}$ after 3.3 hours of averaging. These results demonstrate that applications requiring ultra-high-precision comparisons between optical atomic clocks need not be limited by the stability of the local oscillator. With multiple ensemble pairs, we realize a miniaturized clock network consisting of 6 atom ensembles, resulting in 15 unique pairwise clock comparisons with relative stabilities below $3\times10^{-17}/\sqrtτ$. Finally, we demonstrate the capability to simultaneously load spatially-resolved, heterogeneous ensemble pairs of all four stable isotopes of strontium in a lattice. The unique capabilities offered by this platform pave the way for future studies of precision isotope shift measurements, spatially resolved characterization of limiting clock systematics, development of clock-based gravitational wave and dark matter detectors, and novel tests of relativity including measurements of the gravitational redshift at sub-centimeter scales.

arXiv:2109.12237•Sep 24, 2021•5 citations

Resolving gravitational redshift with sub-millimeter height differences using spin-squeezed optical clocks

Deshui Yu, Jia Zhang, Shougang Zhang +2 more

Abstract The phenomenon that a clock at a higher gravitational potential ticks faster than one at a lower potential, also known as gravitational redshift, is one of the classical tests of Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Owing to their ultra-high accuracy and stability, state-of-the-art optical lattice clocks have enabled resolving the gravitational redshift with a millimeter-scale height difference. Further reducing the vertical inter-clock separation down to the sub-millimeter level and especially shortening the required measurement time may be achieved by employing spin squeezing. Here, we theoretically investigate the spin-squeezing-enhanced differential frequency comparison between two optical clocks within a lattice-trapped cloud of 171Yb atoms. The numerical results illustrate that for a sample of 104 atoms, the atomic-collision-limited resolution of the vertical separation between two clocks can reach 0.48 mm, corresponding to a fractional gravitational redshift at the 10−20 level. In addition, the required averaging time may be reduced to less than one hundredth of that of conventional clocks with independent atoms. Our work opens a door to the future spin-squeezing-enhanced test of general relativity.

Chinese Physics B•Apr 8, 2025•0 citations

A Multiplexed Strontium Optical Lattice Clock

Jonathan Dolde

Optical atomic clocks have spurred a range of precision frequency comparison experiments and proposals including tests of general relativity, gravitational wave detection, and relativistic geodesy. Current measurements using optical atomic clocks are often limited by the coherence of the clock laser rather than the atomic samples used as a frequency reference. In order to overcome the performance limits imposed by clock laser coherence, we realize a multiplexed optical clock system where multiple spatially resolved ensembles each consisting of thousands of strontium atoms trapped in a 1D optical lattice function as separate atomic frequency references that can be simultaneously interrogated with a shared clock laser. This scheme allows us to make differential frequency comparisons with a quantum projection noise limited fractional instability of 9.7(4)×10−18/ √τ and a differential fractional uncertainty of 8.9×10−20 after 3.3 hours of averaging. We then use this system to perform a lab-based test of the gravitational redshift at the centimeter scale, where we measure a fractional frequency gradient of [−12.4±0.7stat ±2.5sys]×10−19/cm, consistent with the predicted value of 10.9×10−19/cm. Having demonstrated that our differential comparisons are no longer limited by the local oscillator, we turn to fundamental limits on atom–atom coherence. We perform a direct decay measurement of the natural lifetime of the excited clock state 3P0 in 87Sr, in which we use measurements of simultaneously loaded high and low density atomic ensembles and compare decay rates of 87Sr and 88Sr to help isolate natural lifetime decay from other population dynamics. We measure a lifetime of 167+79 −40, which is consistent with previously reported experimental and theoretical values. Lastly, we demonstrate a hyperfine-resolved readout scheme in 87Sr that converts depolarization errors during interrogation into erasure errors, extending coherence times between ensembles in our optical lattice clock up to 150s using spin-echo measurements. These results taken together demonstrate the advantages of differential clock measurements that aren’t limited by clock laser coherence and how to characterize and improve on the performance limits that arise in that regime.

•May 1, 2026•0 citations

Classical gravitational effect on the standard quantum limit of finite-size optical lattice clocks in estimating gravitational potential

Fumiya Nishimura, Yui Kuramochi, Kazuhiro Yamamoto

We evaluated the accuracy limit for estimating gravitational potential using optical lattice clocks by utilizing the quantum Cram\'er-Rao bound. We then compared the results for single-layer and multilayer optical lattice clocks. The results indicate that the lower bound of variance of the estimator of gravitational potential using finite-size optical lattice clocks diverges and recovers repeatedly as a function of time. Namely, the accuracy of the gravitational potential estimation is not a monotonic function of time owing to the effect of gravitational dephasing in finite-size optical lattice clocks. Further, this effect creates an estimation accuracy limit when attempting to avoid the divergence of the lower bound. When the number of layers in the optical lattice clock is sufficiently large, the limit is independent of the optical lattice clock details. The time required to reach this limit is calculated to be approximately 33 h for a three-dimensional optical lattice clock consisting of one million cadmium atoms due to Earth's gravity, and approximately the same for other atoms. This time is much longer than the current coherence time of $26\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{s}$.

Physical Review A•Dec 28, 2023•0 citations

Standard quantum limit of finite-size optical lattice clock in estimating gravitational potential

Fumiya Nishimura, Yui Kuramochi, Kazuhiro Yamamoto

We evaluated the accuracy limit for estimating gravitational potential using optical lattice clocks by utilizing the quantum Cramér--Rao bound. We then compared the results for single-layer and multilayer optical lattice clocks. The results indicate that the lower bound of variance of the estimator of gravitational potential using finite-size optical lattice clocks diverges and recovers repeatedly as a function of time. Namely, the accuracy of the gravitational potential estimation is not a monotonic function of time owing to the effect of gravitational dephasing in finite-size optical lattice clock. Further, this effect creates an estimation accuracy limit when attempting to avoid the divergence of the lower bound. When the number of layers in the optical lattice clock is sufficiently large, the limit is independent of the optical lattice clock details. The time required to reach this limit is calculated to be approximately 33 hours for a three-dimensional optical lattice clock consisting of one million cadmium atoms due to Earth's gravity, and approximately the same for other atoms.

arXiv:2308.03335•Aug 7, 2023•0 citations
Optical lattice clocks can now resolve the height difference below 1 cm by means of the gravitational redshift. Further improvement in the stability enables the clocks to resolve the height difference of subsystems within an atomic ensemble that is conventionally interrogated as a single coherent spin state, resulting in the dephasing of the coherent spin state. This effect is observable with a clock of the stability of ∼10−21\sim 10^{-21}∼10−21 by introducing single layer resolved imaging system for three dimensional optical lattice, and limits the 1 s stability of the clock at 10−1910^{-19}10−19 without proper compensations. This can be the first observation of the decoherence of a quantum state by a gravitational effect, and the suppression of other systematic shifts to observe this gravitational dephasing seems feasible.
Optical lattice clocks can now resolve the height difference below 1 mm within an atomic ensemble by means of gravitational redshift with integration over sufficient amount of time. Further improvement in the stability enables the clocks to resolve the height difference of subsystems within an atomic ensemble that is conventionally interrogated as a single coherent spin state in a single Ramsey sequence, resulting in the dephasing of the coherent spin state. This effect is observable with a clock of a stability of ≲10−21\lesssim 10^{-21}≲10−21 by introducing a single-layer-resolved imaging system for a three-dimensional optical lattice, and limits the 1 s stability of the clock around 10−1910^{-19}10−19 for an atomic ensemble distributing symmetrically for the three axes, which is also a signal of the decoherence. With atoms in an entangled state, this can be the first observation of the decoherence of a quantum state by a gravitational effect, and the suppression of other systematic shifts to observe this decoherence seems feasible.
Rapid progress in the precision and accuracy of optical atomic clocks over the last decade has advanced the frontiers of timekeeping, metrology, and quantum science. However, the stabilities of most optical clocks remain limited by the local oscillator rather than the atoms themselves, leaving room for further progress. Here we implement a "multiplexed" one-dimensional optical lattice clock, in which spatially-resolved, movable ensembles of ultra-cold strontium atoms are trapped in the same optical lattice, interrogated simultaneously by a shared clock laser, and read-out in parallel. By performing synchronized Ramsey interrogations of ensemble pairs we observe atom-atom coherence times up to 26 seconds, a 270-fold improvement over the atom-laser coherence time, demonstrate a relative stability of 9.7(4)×10−18/τ9.7(4)\times10^{-18}/\sqrtτ9.7(4)×10−18/τ​ (where τττ is the averaging time in seconds), and reach a fractional uncertainty of 8.9(3)×10−208.9(3)\times 10^{-20}8.9(3)×10−20 after 3.3 hours of averaging. These results demonstrate that applications requiring ultra-high-precision comparisons between optical atomic clocks need not be limited by the stability of the local oscillator. With multiple ensemble pairs, we realize a miniaturized clock network consisting of 6 atom ensembles, resulting in 15 unique pairwise clock comparisons with relative stabilities below 3×10−17/τ3\times10^{-17}/\sqrtτ3×10−17/τ​. Finally, we demonstrate the capability to simultaneously load spatially-resolved, heterogeneous ensemble pairs of all four stable isotopes of strontium in a lattice. The unique capabilities offered by this platform pave the way for future studies of precision isotope shift measurements, spatially resolved characterization of limiting clock systematics, development of clock-based gravitational wave and dark matter detectors, and novel tests of relativity including measurements of the gravitational redshift at sub-centimeter scales.
Abstract The phenomenon that a clock at a higher gravitational potential ticks faster than one at a lower potential, also known as gravitational redshift, is one of the classical tests of Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Owing to their ultra-high accuracy and stability, state-of-the-art optical lattice clocks have enabled resolving the gravitational redshift with a millimeter-scale height difference. Further reducing the vertical inter-clock separation down to the sub-millimeter level and especially shortening the required measurement time may be achieved by employing spin squeezing. Here, we theoretically investigate the spin-squeezing-enhanced differential frequency comparison between two optical clocks within a lattice-trapped cloud of 171Yb atoms. The numerical results illustrate that for a sample of 104 atoms, the atomic-collision-limited resolution of the vertical separation between two clocks can reach 0.48 mm, corresponding to a fractional gravitational redshift at the 10−20 level. In addition, the required averaging time may be reduced to less than one hundredth of that of conventional clocks with independent atoms. Our work opens a door to the future spin-squeezing-enhanced test of general relativity.
Optical atomic clocks have spurred a range of precision frequency comparison experiments and proposals including tests of general relativity, gravitational wave detection, and relativistic geodesy. Current measurements using optical atomic clocks are often limited by the coherence of the clock laser rather than the atomic samples used as a frequency reference. In order to overcome the performance limits imposed by clock laser coherence, we realize a multiplexed optical clock system where multiple spatially resolved ensembles each consisting of thousands of strontium atoms trapped in a 1D optical lattice function as separate atomic frequency references that can be simultaneously interrogated with a shared clock laser. This scheme allows us to make differential frequency comparisons with a quantum projection noise limited fractional instability of 9.7(4)×10−18/ √τ and a differential fractional uncertainty of 8.9×10−20 after 3.3 hours of averaging. We then use this system to perform a lab-based test of the gravitational redshift at the centimeter scale, where we measure a fractional frequency gradient of [−12.4±0.7stat ±2.5sys]×10−19/cm, consistent with the predicted value of 10.9×10−19/cm. Having demonstrated that our differential comparisons are no longer limited by the local oscillator, we turn to fundamental limits on atom–atom coherence. We perform a direct decay measurement of the natural lifetime of the excited clock state 3P0 in 87Sr, in which we use measurements of simultaneously loaded high and low density atomic ensembles and compare decay rates of 87Sr and 88Sr to help isolate natural lifetime decay from other population dynamics. We measure a lifetime of 167+79 −40, which is consistent with previously reported experimental and theoretical values. Lastly, we demonstrate a hyperfine-resolved readout scheme in 87Sr that converts depolarization errors during interrogation into erasure errors, extending coherence times between ensembles in our optical lattice clock up to 150s using spin-echo measurements. These results taken together demonstrate the advantages of differential clock measurements that aren’t limited by clock laser coherence and how to characterize and improve on the performance limits that arise in that regime.
We evaluated the accuracy limit for estimating gravitational potential using optical lattice clocks by utilizing the quantum Cram\'er-Rao bound. We then compared the results for single-layer and multilayer optical lattice clocks. The results indicate that the lower bound of variance of the estimator of gravitational potential using finite-size optical lattice clocks diverges and recovers repeatedly as a function of time. Namely, the accuracy of the gravitational potential estimation is not a monotonic function of time owing to the effect of gravitational dephasing in finite-size optical lattice clocks. Further, this effect creates an estimation accuracy limit when attempting to avoid the divergence of the lower bound. When the number of layers in the optical lattice clock is sufficiently large, the limit is independent of the optical lattice clock details. The time required to reach this limit is calculated to be approximately 33 h for a three-dimensional optical lattice clock consisting of one million cadmium atoms due to Earth's gravity, and approximately the same for other atoms. This time is much longer than the current coherence time of 26s26\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{s}26s.
We evaluated the accuracy limit for estimating gravitational potential using optical lattice clocks by utilizing the quantum Cramér--Rao bound. We then compared the results for single-layer and multilayer optical lattice clocks. The results indicate that the lower bound of variance of the estimator of gravitational potential using finite-size optical lattice clocks diverges and recovers repeatedly as a function of time. Namely, the accuracy of the gravitational potential estimation is not a monotonic function of time owing to the effect of gravitational dephasing in finite-size optical lattice clock. Further, this effect creates an estimation accuracy limit when attempting to avoid the divergence of the lower bound. When the number of layers in the optical lattice clock is sufficiently large, the limit is independent of the optical lattice clock details. The time required to reach this limit is calculated to be approximately 33 hours for a three-dimensional optical lattice clock consisting of one million cadmium atoms due to Earth's gravity, and approximately the same for other atoms.