Rydberg Spectroscopy in an Optical Lattice: Blackbody Thermometry for Atomic Clocks

Journal Article · Fri Aug 26 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.107.093003· OSTI ID:21611590

Ovsiannikov, Vitali D ^[1]; Derevianko, Andrei ^[2]; Gibble, Kurt ^[3]

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1. Physics Department, Voronezh State University, Universitetskaya pl. 1, 394006, Voronezh (Russian Federation)
2. Physics Department, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, 89557 (United States)
3. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802 (United States)

We show that optical spectroscopy of Rydberg states can provide accurate in situ thermometry at room temperature. Transitions from a metastable state to Rydberg states with principal quantum numbers of 25-30 have 200 times larger fractional frequency sensitivities to blackbody radiation than the strontium clock transition. We demonstrate that magic-wavelength lattices exist for both strontium and ytterbium transitions between the metastable and Rydberg states. Frequency measurements of Rydberg transitions with 10{sup -16} accuracy provide 10 mK resolution and yield a blackbody uncertainty for the clock transition of 10{sup -18}.

• OSTI ID: 21611590
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 107, Issue 9; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.093003; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ATOMIC CLOCKS
BLACKBODY RADIATION
FREQUENCY MEASUREMENT
METASTABLE STATES
QUANTUM NUMBERS
RYDBERG STATES
SPECTROSCOPY
STRONTIUM
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0273-0400 K
YTTERBIUM
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
EXCITED STATES
METALS
RADIATIONS
RARE EARTHS
TEMPERATURE RANGE