Observation and Absolute Frequency Measurements of the 1S0 - 3P0 Optical Clock Transition in Neutral Ytterbium

Published

August 19, 2005

Author(s)

C Hoyt, Zeb Barber, Christopher W. Oates, Scott A. Diddams, Tara M. Fortier, Leo W. Hollberg

Abstract

We report the direct excitation of the highly forbidden (6s²) ¹S₀ - (6s6p) ³P₀ optical transition in two odd isotopes of ytterbium. As the excitation laser frequency is scanned, absorption is seen by monitoring the depletion from an atomic cloud at ~70 microK in a magneto-optical trap. The F=1/2 - F=1/2 frequency in ¹⁷¹Yb is 518,295,836,608.5 (1.5) kHz. The F=5/2 - F=5/2 frequency in ¹⁷³Yb is 518,294,576,858.6 (5.0) kHz. Made with a femtosecond-laser frequency comb calibrated by the NIST cesium fountain clock, these measurements represent over a million-fold reduction in uncertainty. The natural linewidth of these J=0 to J=0 transitions is calculated to be ~10 mHz, making them well-suited to support a new generation of optical atomic clocks based on confinement in an optical lattice.

Citation

Physical Review Letters

Volume

95

Issue

083003

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

atomic spectroscopy, optical cooling and trapping of atoms, spectroscopic techniques, time and frequency

Citation

Hoyt, C. , Barber, Z. , Oates, C. , Diddams, S. , Fortier, T. and Hollberg, L. (2005), Observation and Absolute Frequency Measurements of the ¹S₀ - ³P₀ Optical Clock Transition in Neutral Ytterbium, Physical Review Letters, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=50105 (Accessed October 24, 2025)