Related papers: Highly charged ions: optical clocks and applicatio…
Quasi-forbidden electronic transitions in atoms and quasi-degenerate vibronic transitions in molecules serve as powerful probes of hypothetical temporal variations of fundamental constants. Computation of the sensitivity of a transition to…
Optical atomic clocks$^{1,2}$ use electronic energy levels to precisely keep track of time. A clock based on nuclear energy levels promises a next-generation platform for precision metrology and fundamental physics studies. Thorium-229…
Ramsey interferometry is a cornerstone technique for precise measurement of time and frequency in modern clocks. The Ramsey experiments are typically done in optically dilute samples of atoms to improve homogeneity and avoid back-action of…
Experiments aimed at searching for variations in the fine-structure constant $\alpha$ are based on spectroscopy of transitions in microscopic bound systems, such as atoms and ions, or resonances in optical cavities. The sensitivities 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,…
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…
We survey the role of stable clocks in general relativity. Clock comparisons have provided important tests of the Einstein Equivalence Principle, which underlies metric gravity. These include tests of the isotropy of clock comparisons…
Hyperfine-structures of highly charged ions (HCIs) are favourable spectroscopic targets for exploring fundamental physics as well as nuclear properties. Recent proposals of HCI atomic clocks highlight their importance, especially for…
While optical clock technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, incorporating the technology into operational timescales has progressed more slowly. The highest accuracy frequency standards for groundbreaking measurements do not easily…
A fundamental description of time can be consistent not only with the usual monotonic behavior but also with a periodic physical clock variable, coupled to the degrees of freedom of a system evolving in time. Generically, one would in fact…
Optical clocks benefit from tight atomic confinement enabling extended interrogation times as well as Doppler- and recoil-free operation. However, these benefits come at the cost of frequency shifts that, if not properly controlled, may…
The study of high energy collisions between heavy nuclei is a field unto itself, distinct from nuclear and particle physics. A defining aspect of heavy ion physics is the importance of a bulk, self-interacting system with a rich space-time…
In the development of atomic clocks, some atomic transition frequencies are measured with remarkable precision. These measured spectra may include effects of a new force mediated by a weakly interacting boson. Such effects might be…
Frequency metrology is a cornerstone of modern precision measurements and optical atomic clocks have emerged as the most precise measurement devices. In this progress report, we explore various Ramsey interrogation schemes tailored to…
The 229Th nucleus possesses a unique low-frequency transition at 8.4 eV, which is being considered for the development of an extremely accurate nuclear clock. We investigate an electronic bridge process in the Th III ion, where nuclear…
Multi-ion optical clocks offer the possibility of overcoming the low signal-to-noise ratio of single-ion clocks, while still providing low systematic uncertainties. We present simultaneous spectroscopy of up to four ${}^{115}$In${}^+$ clock…
Existing optical lattice clocks demonstrate a high level of performance, but they remain complex experimental devices. In order to address a wider range of applications including those requiring transportable devices, it will be necessary…
Precision measurements with ultracold atoms and molecules are primed to probe beyond-the-Standard Model physics. Isotopologues of homonuclear molecules are a natural testbed for new Yukawa-type mass-dependent forces at nanometer scales,…
The current SI second based on the atomic hyperfine transition in the ground state of 133Cs is expected to be replaced by a new definition based on optical frequency standards, whose estimated uncertainty has now been established two orders…
Demands from several areas of science and technology have lead to a worldwide search for accurate optical clocks with an uncertainty of 1 part in $10^{18}$, which is $10^{3}$ times more accurate than the present day cesium atomic clocks…