Title :
/sup 199/Hg/sup +/ optical frequency standard: progress report
Author :
Fac, R. J Ra ; Young, B.C. ; Cruz, F.C. ; Beall, J.A. ; Bergquist, J.C. ; Itano, W.M. ; Wineland, D.J.
Author_Institution :
Nat. Inst. of Stand. & Technol., Boulder, CO, USA
Abstract :
We are developing an optical frequency standard based on the narrow /sup 2/S/sub 1/2/-/sup 2/D/sub 5/2/ electric-quadrupole transition of a single trapped /sup 199/Hg/sup +/ ion. Small linear traps designed to operate at liquid helium temperatures have been constructed which will provide confinement in the Lamb-Dicke regime for the optical transition. Cryogenic operation yields long ion storage times and significantly suppresses frequency shifts due to collisions and blackbody radiation. A major step toward the completion of this standard has been the construction and evaluation of a well isolated, high-finesse, Fabry-Perot cavity to stabilize the frequency of the interrogating laser. We report our cavity results and progress toward locking the laser frequency to the transition in the stored ion.
Keywords :
Doppler shift; Fabry-Perot resonators; atom-photon collisions; blackbody radiation; cryogenics; frequency standards; laser beams; laser cavity resonators; laser cooling; laser frequency stability; laser variables measurement; mercury (metal); optical variables measurement; particle traps; positive ions; quantum optics; radiation pressure; trapped ions; /sup 199/Hg/sup +/; /sup 2/S/sub 1/2/-/sup 2/D/sub 5/2/ electric-quadrupole transition; 4.2 K; Hg; Lamb-Dicke regime; blackbody radiation; cavity results; collisions; cryogenic operation; frequency shifts; high-finesse Fabry-Perot cavity; interrogating laser; ion storage times; laser frequency; laser locking; liquid He temperatures; optical frequency standard; optical transition; progress report; single trapped ions; small linear traps; stored ion; transition; Charge carrier processes; Cryogenics; Frequency; Helium; Laser transitions; Mercury (metals); Optical design; Particle beam optics; Standards development; Temperature;
Conference_Titel :
Frequency and Time Forum, 1999 and the IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium, 1999., Proceedings of the 1999 Joint Meeting of the European
Conference_Location :
Besancon, France
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-5400-1
DOI :
10.1109/FREQ.1999.841396
