An optical atomic clock using $4D_J$ states of rubidium

Abstract

We analyze an optical atomic clock using two-photon $5S_{1/2}\to 4D_J$ transitions in rubidium. Four one- and two-color excitation schemes to probe the fine-structure states $4D_{3/2}$ and $4D_{5/2}$ are considered in detail. We compare key characteristics of Rb $4D_J$ and $5D_{5/2}$ two-photon clocks. The $4D_J$ clock features a high signal-to-noise ratio due to two-photon decay at favorable wavelengths, low dc electric and magnetic susceptibilities, and minimal black-body shifts. Ac Stark shifts from the clock interrogation lasers are compensated by two-color Rabi-frequency matching. We identify a "magic" wavelength near 1060~nm, which allows for in-trap, Doppler-free clock-transition interrogation with lattice-trapped cold atoms. From our analysis of clock statistics and systematics, we project a quantum-noise-limited relative clock stability at the $10^{-13}/\sqrt{\tau (s)}$-level, with integration time $\tau$ in seconds, and a relative accuracy of $\sim 10^{-13}$. We describe a potential architecture for implementing the proposed clock using a single telecom clock laser at 1550~nm, which is conducive to optical communication and long-distance clock comparisons. Our work could be of interest in efforts to realize small and portable Rb clocks and in high-precision measurements of atomic properties of Rb $4D_J$-states.

A.D. and C.O. contributed equally to this work; 15 pages, 3 figures, 1 table

References in corpus (27)

• Resolving the gravitational redshift within a millimeter atomic sample
• New Limits on Coupling of Fundamental Constants to Gravity Using ${}^{87}$Sr Optical Lattice Clocks
• High precision differential clock comparisons with a multiplexed optical lattice clock
• Roadmap towards the redefinition of the second
• Improved limits on the coupling of ultralight bosonic dark matter to photons from optical atomic clock comparisons
• A quantum network of entangled optical atomic clocks
• Lifetime measurements of the 5d states of rubidium
• Search for ultralight dark matter from long-term frequency comparisons of optical and microwave atomic clocks
• A chip-scale atomic beam clock
• Evaluation of lattice light shift at low 10${}^{-19}$ uncertainty for a shallow lattice Sr optical clock
• Invited Review: Micro-fabricated components for cold atom sensors
• Multiplexed telecom-band quantum networking with atom arrays in optical cavities
• Long-range Rydberg-atom-ion molecules of Rb and Cs
• A passively pumped vacuum package sustaining cold atoms for more than 200 days
• Frequency Shifts due to Stark Effects on a Rb two-photon transition
• Radium Ion Optical Clock
• Circularizing Rydberg atoms with time-dependent optical traps
• A Prototype of a Compact Rubidium-Based Optical Frequency Reference for Operation on Nanosatellites
• High-angular-momentum Rydberg states in a room-temperature vapor cell for DC electric-field sensing
• A pulsed optically pumped Rb clock with a frequency stability below 10-15
• Precision theoretical determination of electric-dipole matrix elements in atomic cesium
• Optical Telecommunications-Band Clock based on Neutral Titanium Atoms
• Experimental and theoretical study of dynamic polarizabilities in the $5S_{1/2}$-$5D_{5/2}$ clock transition in rubidium-87 and determination of E1 matrix elements
• AC polarizability and photoionization cross-section measurements in an optical lattice
• Spectroscopy of the ${}^{85}$Rb 4$D_{3/2}$ state for hyperfine-structure determination
• Dynamic polarizability of the ${}^{85}$Rb $5D_{3/2}$-state in 1064 nm light
• Analysis of a Cesium lattice optical clock