Related papers: Hyperfine averaging by dynamic decoupling in a mul…
We report the first direct frequency comparison between two multi-ion optical clocks based on the S$_{1/2}$ to D$_{5/2}$ transition in \Ca and \Sr ions. Using linear chains of up to nine \Ca ions and six \Sr ions, we demonstrate improved…
We demonstrate how to realize an optical clock with neutral atoms that is competitive to the currently best single ion optical clocks in accuracy and superior in stability. Using ultracold atoms in a Ca optical frequency standard we show…
We demonstrate a technique for precisely measuring hyperfine intervals in alkali atoms. The atoms form a three-level $\Lambda$ system in the presence of a strong control laser and a weak probe laser. The dressed states created by the…
We explore the potential of the electric quadrupole transitions $7s\,^2S_{1/2}$ - $6d\,^2D_{3/2}$, $6d\,^2D_{5/2}$ in radium isotopes as single-ion optical frequency standards. The frequency shifts of the clock transitions due to external…
Strontium optical lattice clocks have the potential to simultaneously interrogate millions of atoms with a high spectroscopic quality factor of $4 \times 10^{-17}$. Previously, atomic interactions have forced a compromise between clock…
Recent developments in frequency metrology and optical clocks have been based on electronic transitions in atoms and singly charged ions as references. These systems have enabled relative frequency uncertainties at a level of a few parts in…
We identify Ba$^{4+}$ (Te-like) as a promising candidate for a high-accuracy optical clock. The lowest-lying electronic states are part of a $^3P_J$ fine structure manifold with anomalous energy ordering, being non-monotonic in $J$. We…
A new generation of atomic sensors using ultra-narrow optical clock transitions and composite pulses are pushing quantum engineering control to a very high level of precision for applied and fundamental physics. Here, we propose a new…
We apply relativistic many-body methods to compute static differential polarizabilities for transitions inside the ground-state hyperfine manifolds of monovalent atoms and ions. Knowing this transition polarizability is required in a number…
A full evaluation of the uncertainty budget for the ytterbium ion optical clock at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) was performed on the electric octupole (E3) $^2\mathrm{S}_{1/2}\,\rightarrow\, ^2\mathrm{F}_{7/2}$ transition. The…
We offer interferometry models for thermal ensembles with one-body losses and the phenomenological inclusion of perturbations covering most of the thermal atom experiments. A possible extension to the many-body case is briefly discussed.…
We discuss the minimization of the Dick effect in an optical lattice clock. We show that optimizing the time sequence of operation of the clock can lead to a significant reduction of the clock stability degradation by the frequency noise of…
The Ni$^{12+}$ ion features an electronic transition with a natural width of only 8 mHz, allowing for a highly stable optical clock. We predict that the energy of this strongly forbidden $3s^2 3p^4\, ^3\!P_2 \rightarrow 3s^2 3p^4 \,…
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…
Compact optical atomic clocks have become increasingly important in field applications and clock networks. Systems based on Ramsey-Borde interferometry (RBI) with a thermal atomic beam seem promising to fill a technology gap in optical…
We report for the first time, laser spectroscopy of the 1S0 - 3P0 clock transition in 27Al+. A single aluminum ion and a single beryllium ion are simultaneously confined in a linear Paul trap, coupled by their mutual Coulomb repulsion. This…
We show that the sensitivity of an atomic clock can be enhanced below the shot-noise level by initially squeezing, and then measuring in output, the population of a single atomic level. This can simplify current experimental protocols which…
We have carried absolute frequency measurements of the $(6s^{2})\,^{1}S_{0}$ $-$ $(6s6p)\,^{3}P_{1}$ transition in $^{171}$Yb (the intercombination line), where the spin-1/2 isotope yields two hyperfine lines. The measurements rely on…
Accurate time-delay measurement is at the core of many modern technologies. Here, we present a temporal-mode demultiplexing scheme that achieves the ultimate quantum precision for the simultaneous estimation of the temporal centroid, the…
An ultra-stable optical clock based on coherent population trapping effect of alkaline-earth ions, such as Ca$^+$, Sr$^+$, Ba$^+$, is analyzed here. The proposed transitions use the odd isotopes, so that the frequency shift is insensitive…