Ye, J.
, Ma, L.
and Hall, J.
(2001),
Molecular Iodine Clock, Physical Review Letters
(Accessed February 9, 2026)
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Molecular Iodine Clock
Published
Author(s)
, L -. Ma, J L. Hall
Abstract
We demonstrate a simple optical clock based on an optical transition of iodine molecules, providing a frequency stability stability superior to most rf sources. Combined with a femtosecond-laser-based optical comb to provide the phase coherent clock mechanism linking the optical and microwave spectra, we derive an rf clock signal of comparable stability over an extended period. Measurements suggest the stability (5x10-14 at 1 s) of the cw laser locked on the iodine transition is transferred to every comb component throughout the optical octave bandwidth (from 532 nm to 1064 nm) with a precision of 3.5 x 10-15. Characterization of the performance of the optical clock shows (in)stability below 3 x 10-13 at 1 s (currently limited by the microwave sources), and 4.6 X 10-13 over one year.Citation
Physical Review Letters
Volume
87
Issue
No. 27
Pub Type
Journals
Keywords
femtosecond laser optical comb, optical clock, optical frequency standards
Citation
Issues
If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact [email protected].
Created December 1, 2001, Updated February 17, 2017