Related papers: Two clock transitions in neutral Yb for the highes…
Optical lattice clocks are the prospective devices that can probe many subtle physics including temporal variation of the fine structure constant ($\alpha_e$). These studies necessitate high-precision measurements of atomic clock frequency…
The comparison of different atomic transition frequencies over time can be used to determine the present value of the temporal derivative of the fine structure constant alpha in a model-independent way without assumptions on constancy or…
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…
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…
We study the prospects of using transitions from the ytterbium ground state to metastable states $^3{\rm P}^{\rm o}_2$ at $E=19\,710.388~$cm$^{-1}$ and $4f^{13}5d6s^2\,(J=2)$ at $E=23\,188.518~$cm$^{-1}$ as clock transitions in an optical…
We identify two metastable excited states in Sm$ ^{10+} $ highly charged ion as candidates for high accuracy optical clocks. Several atomic properties relevant to optical clock development are calculated using relativistic many-body…
Singly-ionized ytterbium, with ultra-narrow optical clock transitions at 467 nm and 436 nm, is a convenient system for the realization of optical atomic clocks and tests of present-day variation of fundamental constants. We present the…
We report on the observation of the $4f^{14}6s^{2}~^1S_0- 4f^{13}5d6s^{2}(J=2)$ transition at 431 nm in $^{171}$Yb by depleting atoms in a magneto-optical trap formed by the $6s^{2}~^1S_0-6s6p~^3P_1$ intercombination transition. The…
Transition frequencies of atoms and ions are among the most accurately accessible quantities in nature, playing important roles in pushing the frontiers of science by testing fundamental laws of physics, in addition to a wide range of…
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…
We report high-precision frequency ratio measurements between optical atomic clocks based on $^{27}$Al$^+$, $^{171}$Yb, and $^{87}$Sr. With total fractional uncertainties at or below $3.2 \times 10^{-18}$, these measurements meet an…
Peik and Tamm [Europhys. Lett. 61, 181 (2003)] proposed a nuclear clock based on the isomeric transition between the ground state and the first excited state of thorium-229. This transition was recognized as a potentially sensitive probe of…
Theories unifying gravity and other interactions suggest the possibility of spatial and temporal variation of physical ``constants''. Accuracy achieved for the atomic optical frequency standards (optical clocks) approaches the level when…
An inner-shell orbital clock transition $^1S_0 \leftrightarrow 4f^{13}5d6s^2 \: (J=2)$ in neutral ytterbium atoms has attracted much attention as a new optical frequency standard as well as a highly sensitive probe for several new physics…
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 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…
Over a period of eight months, we have monitored transition frequencies between nearly degenerate, opposite-parity levels in two isotopes of atomic dysprosium (Dy). These transition frequencies are highly sensitive to temporal variation of…
In this paper we report calculations of the relativistic corrections to transition frequencies (q factors) of Yb II for the transitions from the odd-parity states to the metastable state $4f^{13}6s^2 ^2F_{7/2}^o$. These transitions are of…
An ultrastable optical clock based on neutral atoms trapped in an optical lattice is proposed. Complete control over the light shift is achieved by employing the $5s^2 {}^1S_0 \to 5s5p {}^3P_0$ transition of ${}^{87}{\rm Sr}$ atoms as a…
We measured the absolute frequency of the $^1S_0$ - $^3P_0$ transition of $^{171}$Yb atoms confined in a one-dimensional optical lattice relative to the SI second. The determined frequency was 518 295 836 590 863.38(57) Hz. The uncertainty…