Berlin 2001 – scientific programme
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Q: Quantenoptik
Q 0: Postdeadline: Talks
Q 0.9: Talk
Tuesday, April 3, 2001, 20:50–21:00, H 104
Absolute optical frequency measurement on a trapped 171Yb ion with a relative uncertainty of 1· 10−14 — •Chr. Tamm, H.R. Telle, S. Weyers, and J. Stenger — Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Bundesallee 100, D-38116 Braunschweig
The 2S1/2(F=0)→ 2D3/2(F′=2)
electric-quadrupole transition of 171Yb+ at 435.5 nm (688 THz) is
an attractive optical frequency reference since it has a small natural
linewidth of 3.1 Hz and a mF=0 - mF′=0 component with
vanishing low-field linear Zeeman frequency shift1. We have
measured the absolute optical frequency of this
transition. The
measurement uses a 171Yb ion that is confined in a radiofrequency
trap and is cooled and probed by frequency-doubled diode lasers.
The frequency of the probe laser is locked to the line center of
the
435.5 nm transition, which is resolved with a Fourier-limited
linewidth of
30 Hz (FWHM). The probe laser frequency is
phase-coherently linked to a caesium fountain microwave frequency
standard through a femtosecond frequency comb generator2. The
resulting total relative measurement uncertainty of 1· 10−14
is in the range of the smallest optical frequency measurement
uncertainties reported so far.
In this contribution, we report the experimental conditions of the 171Yb+ frequency measurement, and point to some of the relevant systematic uncertainty contributions.
1Chr. Tamm et al., Phys. Rev. A 61, 053405 (2000).
2J. Stenger et al., paper Q 29.1 of this conference.