Direct Excitation of the Forbidden Clock Transition in Neutral {sup 174}Yb Atoms Confined to an Optical Lattice
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, Boulder, Colorado 80305 (United States)
We report direct single-laser excitation of the strictly forbidden (6s{sup 2}){sup 1}S{sub 0}{r_reversible}(6s6p){sup 3}P{sub 0} clock transition in {sup 174}Yb atoms confined to a 1D optical lattice. A small ({approx}1.2 mT) static magnetic field was used to induce a nonzero electric dipole transition probability between the clock states at 578.42 nm. Narrow resonance linewidths of 20 Hz (FWHM) with high contrast were observed, demonstrating a resonance quality factor of 2.6x10{sup 13}. The previously unknown ac Stark shift-canceling (magic) wavelength was determined to be 759.35{+-}0.02 nm. This method for using the metrologically superior even isotope can be easily implemented in current Yb and Sr lattice clocks and can create new clock possibilities in other alkaline-earth-like atoms such as Mg and Ca.
- OSTI ID:
- 20778726
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review Letters, Vol. 96, Issue 8; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.083002; (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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