Related papers: An ion trap design for a space-deployable strontiu…
For the past 15 years, tremendous progress within the fields of laser stabilization, optical frequency combs and atom cooling and trapping have allowed the realization of optical atomic clocks with unrivaled performances. These instruments…
We present a novel, single-ion trap with integrated optical fibers directly embedded within the trap structure to deliver laser light as well as collect the ion's fluorescence. This eliminates the need for optical windows. We characterise…
Optical atomic clocks provide exceptionally accurate and precise signals for timekeeping and precision measurements, but they require high-power, free-space laser configurations that limit scalability. We introduce and explore a scalable…
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 present the design of a compact optical clock based on the $^2S_{1/2} \rightarrow ^2D_{3/2}$ 435.5 nm transition in $^{171}$Yb$^+$. The ion trap will be based on a micro-fabricated circuit, with surface electrodes generating a trapping…
The uncertainty of the ac Stark shift due to thermal radiation represents a major contribution to the systematic uncertainty budget of state-of-the-art optical atomic clocks. In the case of optical clocks based on trapped ions, the thermal…
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 report on the design of a segmented linear Paul trap for optical clock applications using trapped ion Coulomb crystals. For an optical clock with an improved short-term stability and a fractional frequency uncertainty of 10^-18, we…
With the advent of optical clocks featuring fractional frequency uncertainties on the order of $10^{-17}$ and below, new applications such as chronometric levelling with few-cm height resolution emerge. We are developing a transportable…
Integrated photonics in trapped-ion systems are critical for the realization of applications such as portable optical atomic clocks and scalable quantum computers. However, system-level integration of all required functionalities remains a…
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,…
The ESA mission "Space Optical Clock" project aims at operating an optical lattice clock on the ISS in approximately 2023. The scientific goals of the mission are to perform tests of fundamental physics, to enable space-assisted…
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…
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…
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.…
We present a compact, long-term nearly continuous operation of a room-temperature Ca$^+$ optical clock setup towards a transportable clock, achieving an overall systematic uncertainty of $4.8\times 10^{-18}$ and an uptime rate of 97.8% over…
Optical clocks are the apotheosis of precision measurement, but they require frequent maintenance by scientists. The supporting laser systems are a particularly demanding component of these instruments. To reduce complexity and increase…
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…
We study the trap depth requirement for the realization of an optical clock using atoms confined in a lattice. We show that site-to-site tunnelling leads to a residual sensitivity to the atom dynamics hence requiring large depths (50 to…
Rapid progress in the precision and accuracy of optical atomic clocks over the last decade has advanced the frontiers of timekeeping, metrology, and quantum science. However, the stabilities of most optical clocks remain limited by the…