Related papers: A transportable 40Ca+ single-ion clock with $7.7\t…
Trapped ions are ideally suited for precision spectroscopy, as is evident from the remarkably low systematic uncertainties of single-ion clocks. The major weakness of these clocks is the long averaging time, necessitated by the low signal…
There has been tremendous progress in the performance of optical frequency standards since the first proposals to carry out precision spectroscopy on trapped, single ions in the 1970s. The estimated fractional frequency uncertainty of…
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,…
We experimentally investigate an optical frequency standard based on the 467 nm (642 THz) electric-octupole reference transition 2S1/2(F=0) -> F7/2(F=3) in a single trapped 171Yb+ ion. The extraordinary features of this transition result…
With ultracold $^{87}$Sr confined in a magic wavelength optical lattice, we present the most precise study (2.8 Hz statistical uncertainty) to-date of the $^1S_0$ - $^3P_0$ optical clock transition with a detailed analysis of systematic…
We report a measurement of the lifetime of the 3d 2D_{5/2} metastable level in 40Ca+, using quantum jumps of a single cold calcium ion in a linear Paul trap. The 4s S_{1/2} - 3d D_{5/2} transition is significant for single-ion optical…
The blackbody radiation shift of the Ga$^+$ $4s^2 \ ^1S^e_0 \to 4s4p \ ^3P^o_0$ clock transition is computed to be $-$$0.0140 \pm 0.0048$ Hz at 300 K. The small shift is consistent with the blackbody shifts of the clock transitions of other…
The rapid increase in accuracy and stability of optical atomic clocks compared to the caesium atomic clock as primary standard of time and frequency asks for a future re-definition of the second in the International System of Units (SI).…
We report a frequency measurement of the 1S0-3P0 transition of 87Sr atoms in an optical lattice clock. The frequency is determined to be 429 228 004 229 879 (5) Hz with a fractional uncertainty that is comparable to state-of-the-art optical…
We describe experiments with an optical frequency standard based on a laser cooled $^{171}$Yb$^+$ ion confined in a radiofrequency Paul trap. The electric-quadrupole transition from the $^2S_{1/2}(F=0)$ ground state to the $^2D_{3/2}(F=2)$…
Optical atomic clocks have demonstrated revolutionary advances in precision timekeeping, but their applicability to the real world is critically dependent on whether such clocks can operate outside a laboratory setting. The challenge to…
The differential polarizability, due to near-infrared light at 1126 nm, of the 27Al+ 1S0 -> 3P0 clock transition is measured to be 4\pi\epsilon_0 x (1.6 +/- 0.5) x 10^{-31} m^3. This measurement is combined with experimental oscillator…
We experimentally investigate an optical clock based on $^{171}$Yb ($I=1/2$) atoms confined in an optical lattice. We have evaluated all known frequency shifts to the clock transition, including a density-dependent collision shift, with a…
We present a new evaluation of an 87Sr optical lattice clock using spin polarized atoms. The frequency of the 1S0-3P0 clock transition is found to be 429 228 004 229 873.6 Hz with a fractional accuracy of 2.6 10^{-15}, a value that is…
In this paper, blackbody radiation (BBR) temperature rise seen by the $^{40}$Ca$^+$ ion confined in a miniature Paul trap and its uncertainty have been evaluated via finite-element method (FEM) modelling. The FEM model was validated by…
We present an interrogation laser system for a transportable strontium lattice clock operating at 698 nm, which is based on an ultra-low-expansion glass reference cavity. Transportability is achieved by implementing a rigid, compact, and…
We describe the current status of the Ca optical frequency standards with laser-cooled neutral atoms realized in two different laboratories for the purpose of developing a possible future optical atomic clock. Frequency measurements…
We study ultranarrow $5s_{1/2}$ - $4f_{5/2}$ transitions in Nd$^{13+}$ and Sm$^{15+}$ and demonstrate that they lie in the optical region. The transitions are insensitive to external perturbations. At the same time they are sensitive to the…
Al$^+$ ions optical clock is a very promising optical frequency standard candidate due to its extremely small blackbody radiation shift. It has been successfully demonstrated with indirect cooled, quantum-logic-based spectroscopy technique.…
The exquisite control exhibited over quantum states of individual particles has revolutionized the field of precision measurement, as exemplified by the most accurate atomic clock realized in single trapped ions. Whereas many-atom lattice…