Related papers: Systematic evaluation of an atomic clock at 2e-18 …
Ultra-precise optical clocks in space will allow new studies in fundamental physics and astronomy. Within an European Space Agency (ESA) program, the Space Optical Clocks (SOC) project aims to install and to operate an optical lattice clock…
We develop an abstract model of atomic clocks that fully describes the dynamics of repeated synchronization between a classical oscillator and a quantum reference. We prove existence of a stationary state of the model and study its…
Quantum non-demolition (QND) measurement is a remarkable tool for the manipulation of quantum systems. It allows specific information to be extracted while still preserving fragile quantum observables of the system. Here we apply…
Extra-laboratory atomic clocks are necessary for a wide array of applications (e.g. satellite-based navigation and communication). Building upon existing vapor cell and laser technologies, we describe an optical atomic clock, designed…
We report on a transportable optical clock, based on laser-cooled strontium atoms trapped in an optical lattice. The experimental apparatus is composed of a compact source of ultra-cold strontium atoms including a compact cooling laser…
We have quantified a short term instability budget for an optical frequency standard based on cold, freely expanding calcium atoms. Such systems are the subject of renewed interest due to their high frequency stability and relative…
We propose and analyze a Cesium lattice optical clock (CLOC) which has the potential for high performance and simple operation in a compact form factor using a forbidden optical transition in Cs atoms at 685 nm. Cs atoms are trapped in a 3D…
We constructed a transportable 40Ca+ optical clock (with an estimated minimum systematic shift uncertainty of 1.3*10^(-17) and a stability of 5*10^(-15)/sqrt{tau} ) that can operate outside the laboratory. We transported it from the…
We demonstrate programmable control over the spatial distribution of ultra-cold atoms confined in an optical lattice. The control is facilitated through a combination of spatial manipulation of the magneto-optical trap and atomic population…
It is shown that the dynamic differential scalar polarisability of the $S_{1/2}-D_{5/2}$ transition in $^{138}$Ba$^+$ can be determined to an inaccuracy below $0.5\%$ across a wide wavelength range ($\lambda>700\,\mathrm{nm}$). This can be…
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…
Optical atomic clocks are the most accurate measurement devices ever constructed and have found many applications in fundamental science and technology. The use of highly charged ions (HCI) as a new class of references for highest accuracy…
We investigate the effects of stimulated scattering of optical lattice photons on atomic coherence times in a state-of-the art ${}^{87}\mathrm{Sr}$ optical lattice clock. Such scattering processes are found to limit the achievable coherence…
Atomic clock technology is advancing rapidly, now reaching stabilities of $\Delta f/f \sim 10^{-18}$, which corresponds to resolving $1$ cm in equivalent geoid height over an integration timescale of about 7 hours. At this level of…
We report an uncertainty evaluation of an $^{171}$Yb optical lattice clock with a total fractional uncertainty of $3.6\times10^{-16}$, which is mainly limited by the lattice-induced light shift and the blackbody radiation shift. Our…
Optical atomic clocks represent the state-of-the-art in the frontier of modern measurement science. In this article we provide a detailed review on the development of optical atomic clocks that are based on trapped single ions and many…
We present and implement a non-destructive detection scheme for the transition probability readout of an optical lattice clock. The scheme relies on a differential heterodyne measurement of the dispersive properties of lattice-trapped atoms…
We report on the realization of a new compact strontium optical clock using a 2-D magneto-optical-trap (2D-MOT) as cold atomic source and a multi-wavelength cavity as the frequency stabilization system. All needed optical frequencies are…
To operate an optical lattice clock at a fractional uncertainty below $10^{-17}$, one must typically consider not only electric-dipole (E1) interaction between an atom and the lattice light field when characterizing the resulting lattice…
Over five years we have compared the hyperfine frequencies of 133Cs and 87Rb atoms in their electronic ground state using several laser cooled 133Cs and 87Rb atomic fountains with an accuracy of ~10^{-15}. These measurements set a stringent…