Related papers: Systematic Shifts for Ytterbium-ion Optical Freque…
The motion of an ion in a radiofrequency (rf) Paul trap is described by the Mathieu equation and the associated stability parameters that are proportional to the rf and dc electric field gradients. Here, a higher-order, iterative method to…
We report the direct excitation of the highly forbidden (6s^2) 1S0 - (6s6p) 3P0 optical transition in two odd isotopes of ytterbium. As the excitation laser frequency is scanned, absorption is detected by monitoring the depletion from an…
We propose a new ion-trap geometry to carry out accurate measurements of the quadrupole shifts in the $^{171}$Yb-ion. This trap will produce nearly ideal harmonic potential where the quadrupole shifts due to the anharmonic components can be…
With 87-Sr atoms confined in a one dimensional optical lattice, the frequency of the optical clock transition 5s^2 ^1S_0 - 5s5p ^3P_0 has been determined to be 429 228 004 229 872.9(5) Hz. The transition frequency was measured with the help…
Appraising the projected $10^{-18}$ fractional uncertainty in the optical frequency standards using singly ionized ions, we estimate the black-body radiation (BBR) shifts due to the magnetic dipole (M1) and electric quadrupole (E2)…
This dissertation reports on the development of a low-power, high-stability miniature atomic frequency standard based on 171Yb+ ions. The ions are buffer-gas cooled and held in a linear quadrupole trap that is integrated into a sealed,…
The ytterbium atom is widely used in the fields of atomic physics, cavity quantum electrodynamics, quantum information processing and optical frequency standards. There is however a strong dispersion among the reported values of the…
As relative systematic frequency uncertainties in trapped-ion spectroscopy are approaching the low $10^{-18}$ range, motional frequency shifts account for a considerable fraction of the uncertainty budget. Micromotion, a driven motion…
We report a series of measurements of the effect of an electric field on the frequency of the ultranarrow linewidth $^7F_0 \rightarrow$ $^5D_0$ optical transition of $\rm Eu^{3+}$ ions in an $\rm Y_2SiO_5$ matrix at cryogenic temperatures.…
We observe a weakly allowed optical transition of atomic ytterbium from the ground state to the metastable state $4f^{13}5d6s^2 \: (J=2)$ for all five bosonic and two fermionic isotopes with resolved Zeeman and hyperfine structures. This…
Recent advances in high-precision spectroscopy of highly charged ions necessitate an understanding of energy shifts of ionic levels caused by external electric and magnetic fields. Beyond the well-known Stark and linear Zeeman shifts,…
Precision comparisons of different atomic frequency standards over a period of a few years can be used for a sensitive search for temporal variations of fundamental constants. We present recent frequency measurements of the 688 THz…
Optical transitions of highly charged ions can be very sensitive to hypothetical beyond-the-Standard-Model phenomena. Those near the $5s-4f$ level crossing, where the $5s$ and $4f$ are degenerate are especially promising. We present…
We report direct measurements of the frequency ratio of the 642 THz ${}^2S_{1/2} (F=0)$--${}^2F_{7/2} (F=3)$ electric octupole transition in ${}^{171}\mathrm{Yb}^+$ and the 429 THz ${}^1S_0$--${}^3P_0$ transition in ${}^{87}\mathrm{Sr}$. A…
We report absolute frequency measurements of 81 hyperfine components of the rovibrational transitions of molecular iodine at 578 nm using the second harmonic generation of an 1156-nm external-cavity diode laser and a fiber-based optical…
We have measured the frequency of the $6s^2S_{1/2} - 5d^2D_{3/2}$ electric-quadrupole transition of $^{171}$Yb$^+$ with a relative uncertainty of $1\times 10^{-14}$, $\nu_{Yb}$ = 688 358 979 309 312 Hz $\pm$ 6 Hz. A femtosecond frequency…
We report progress on 115In+ and 137Ba+ single ion optical frequency standards using all solid-state sources. Both are free from quadrupole field shifts and together enable a search for drift in fundamental constants.
Accurate measurements of different transition frequencies between atomic levels of the electronic and hyperfine structure over time are used to investigate temporal variations of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ and the…
Changes in the sky noise spectrum are used to characterize perturbations in the ionosphere. Observations were made at the same sidereal time on multiple days using a calibrated broadband dipole and radio spectrometer covering 80 to 185 MHz.…
We report a precise measurement of the isotope shifts in the $4^2$S$_{1/2} \rightarrow 3^2$D$_{5/2}$ electric quadrupole transition at 729~nm in the $^{40 - 42,44,48}$Ca$^+$. The measurement has been made via high-resolution laser…