Progress at NIST toward absolute frequency standards using stored ions

Author

Wineland, D.J. ; Bergquist, J.C. ; Bollinger, J.J. ; Itano, W.M. ; Heinzen, D.J. ; Gilbert, S.L. ; Manney, C.H. ; Raizen, M.G.

Author_Institution

Nat. Inst. of Stand. & Technol., Boulder, CO, USA

Volume

37

Issue

6

fYear

1990

Firstpage

515

Lastpage

523

Abstract

Experiments directed toward the realization of frequency standards of high accuracy using stored ions are briefly summarized. In one experiment, an RF oscillator is locked to a nuclear spin-flip hyperfine transition (frequency approximately= 3.03*10/sup 8/ Hz) in /sup 9/Be/sup +/ ions that are stored in a Penning trap and sympathetically laser-cooled. Stability is better than 3*10/sup -12/ tau /sup -(1/2)/ and uncertainty in Doppler shifts is estimated to be less than 5*10/sup -15/. In a second experiment, a stable laser is used to probe an electric quadrupole transition (frequency approximately=1.07*10/sup 15/ Hz) in a single laser-cooled /sup 199/Hg/sup +/ ion stored in a Paul trap. The measured Q value of this transition is approximately 10/sup 13/. Future possible experiments are discussed.<>

Keywords

frequency measurement; measurement standards; particle traps; 1.07*10/sup 5/ Hz; 3.03*10/sup 8/ Hz; Be ions; Doppler shifts; Hg ions; Paul trap; Penning trap; Q value; RF oscillator; absolute frequency standards; electric quadrupole transition; laser cooled ions; nuclear spin-flip hyperfine transition; stored ions; Doppler shift; Laser stability; Laser transitions; Mercury (metals); NIST; Oscillators; Probes; Radio frequency; Resonant frequency; Uncertainty;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0885-3010

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/58.63107

Filename

63107