Single-atom optical clock with high accuracy

W. H. Oskay; S. A. Diddams; E. A. Donley; T. M. Fortier; T. P. Heavner; L. Hollberg; W. M. Itano; S. R. Jefferts; M. J. Delaney; K. Kim; F. Levi; T. E. Parker; J. C. Bergquist

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.020801

Single-atom optical clock with high accuracy

W. H. Oskay, S. A. Diddams, E. A. Donley, T. M. Fortier, T. P. Heavner, L. Hollberg, W. M. Itano, S. R. Jefferts, M. J. Delaney, K. Kim, F. Levi, T. E. Parker, J. C. Bergquist

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

247 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

For the past 50 years, atomic standards based on the frequency of the cesium ground-state hyperfine transition have been the most accurate time pieces in the world. We now report a comparison between the cesium fountain standard NIST-F1, which has been evaluated with an inaccuracy of about 4×10-16, and an optical frequency standard based on an ultraviolet transition in a single, laser-cooled mercury ion for which the fractional systematic frequency uncertainty was below 7.2×10-17. The absolute frequency of the transition was measured versus cesium to be 1064721609899144. 94 (97) Hz, with a statistically limited total fractional uncertainty of 9.1×10-16, the most accurate absolute measurement of an optical frequency to date.

Original language	English
Article number	020801
Journal	Physical review letters
Volume	97
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.020801
Publication status	Published - 2006

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Physics and Astronomy(all)

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10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.020801

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abstract = "For the past 50 years, atomic standards based on the frequency of the cesium ground-state hyperfine transition have been the most accurate time pieces in the world. We now report a comparison between the cesium fountain standard NIST-F1, which has been evaluated with an inaccuracy of about 4×10-16, and an optical frequency standard based on an ultraviolet transition in a single, laser-cooled mercury ion for which the fractional systematic frequency uncertainty was below 7.2×10-17. The absolute frequency of the transition was measured versus cesium to be 1064721609899144. 94 (97) Hz, with a statistically limited total fractional uncertainty of 9.1×10-16, the most accurate absolute measurement of an optical frequency to date.",

author = "Oskay, {W. H.} and Diddams, {S. A.} and Donley, {E. A.} and Fortier, {T. M.} and Heavner, {T. P.} and L. Hollberg and Itano, {W. M.} and Jefferts, {S. R.} and Delaney, {M. J.} and K. Kim and F. Levi and Parker, {T. E.} and Bergquist, {J. C.}",

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AU - Oskay, W. H.

AU - Diddams, S. A.

AU - Donley, E. A.

AU - Fortier, T. M.

AU - Heavner, T. P.

AU - Hollberg, L.

AU - Itano, W. M.

AU - Jefferts, S. R.

AU - Delaney, M. J.

AU - Kim, K.

AU - Levi, F.

AU - Parker, T. E.

AU - Bergquist, J. C.

PY - 2006

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