Spectrally Narrow, Long-Term Stable Optical Frequency Reference Based on a<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:msup><mml:mi>Eu</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mn>3</mml:mn><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msup><mml:mo>∶</mml:mo><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Y</mml:mi><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub><mml:msub><mml:mi>SiO</mml:mi><mml:mn>5</mml:mn></mml:msub></mml:math>Crystal at Cryogenic Temperature

Chen, Qun-Feng; Troshyn, Andrei; Ernsting, Ingo; Kayser, Steffen Alexander; Vasilyev, Sergey; Nevsky, A.; Schiller, S.

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.107.223202

Cited by 32 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Therefore the measured drift rate of 5 × 10 −18 s −1 is primarily due to the spectral hole. This drift rate is roughly an order of magnitude smaller than that of a typical room-temperature FabryPérot cavity, and is similar to that reported by Chen et al [24] for spectral holes in Eu 3+ :Y 2 SiO 5 . Figure 4 shows measurements of the frequency noise of a laser locked to a pattern of spectral holes in …”

supporting

confidence: 88%

“…as narrow as 122 Hz [21] and a lifetime of order 10 6 s at 4 K [22]. In addition, high-resolution spectroscopy has shown that the environmental sensitivity of 580 nm spectral holes in Eu 3+ :Y 2 SiO 5 to temperature, pressure, and accelerations are all smaller than that of Fabry-Pérot cavities [23,24]. Furthermore, the sensitivity to magneticfield fluctuations and perturbations to the spectral hole pattern due to side-holes and anti-holes are small enough to allow laser frequency stabilization at the 10 −17 fractional frequency level [25].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Absolute and Relative Stability of an Optical Frequency Reference Based on Spectral Hole Burning inEu3+:Y2SiO5

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We present and analyze four frequency measurements designed to characterize the performance of an optical frequency reference based on spectral hole burning in Eu 3+ :Y2SiO5 . The first frequency comparison, between a single unperturbed spectral hole and a hydrogen maser, demonstrates a fractional frequency drift rate of 5 × 10 −18 s −1 . Optical-frequency comparisons between a pattern of spectral holes, a Fabry-Pérot cavity, and an Al + optical atomic clock show a short-term fractional frequency stability of 1 × 10 −15 τ −1/2 that averages down to 2.5 Frequency-stable laser local oscillators (LLOs) are important tools for a variety of precision measurements. Examples include both scientific applications such as searches for the variation of fundamental constants [1,2] and tests of general relativity [3,4] as well as technical applications such as synthesis of low-phase-noise microwaves [5][6][7] and relativistic geodesy [8,9]. The stability of the best lasers constructed to date [10][11][12] is limited by thermomechanical length fluctuations of the Fabry-Pérot reference cavities used for stabilization (i.e., thermally-driven displacement fluctuations of the atoms that make up the cavity) [13,14]. Present and future applications would benefit from lasers with improved stability [12,15].One alternative to the mechanical frequency reference provided by Fabry-Pérot cavities is spectral-hole burning (SHB) laser-frequency stabilization [16][17][18][19][20]. In this technique, the frequency reference is an atomic transition of rare-earth dopant ions in a cryogenically cooled crystal. These systems typically display an inhomogeneously broadened absorption line with a linewidth of order gigahertz, but the optical coherence time can be as long as milliseconds. Thus, in systems with an appropriate level structure, a spectrally-narrow transparency, or spectral hole, can be written into the broad absorption line by optically pumping a subset of the dopant ions to a longlived auxiliary state. For laser-frequency stabilization, a spectral hole is written into the crystal at the beginning of the experiment, and subsequently the laser frequency is stabilized to the center of the spectral hole by probing the transmission of the crystal and feeding back to the laser frequency. Because the coupling between crystal strain and the internal states of the dopant ions is weak, the thermomechanical noise that limits Fabry-Pérot cavities is only a weak perturbation to the frequencies of spectral holes.The material system Eu 3+ :Y 2 SiO 5 in particular is very promising for high-performance laser-frequency stabilization because it supports spectral holes with a linewidth

show abstract

supporting

confidence: 88%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Absolute and Relative Stability of an Optical Frequency Reference Based on Spectral Hole Burning inEu3+:Y2SiO5

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Currently we are not able to create these high-quality combs due to the laser linewidth of 30 kHz. Recent high-resolution hole-burning experiments in Eu:Y 2 SiO 5 support that this is possible [41].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Single-photon-level optical storage in a solid-state spin-wave memory

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A long-lived quantum memory is a firm requirement for implementing a quantum repeater scheme. Recent progress in solid-state rare-earth-ion-doped systems justifies their status as very strong candidates for such systems. Nonetheless an optical memory based on spin-wave storage at the single-photon level has not been shown in such a system to date, which is crucial for achieving the long storage times required for quantum repeaters. In this paper we show that it is possible to execute a complete atomic frequency comb (AFC) scheme, including spin-wave storage, with weak coherent pulses ofn = 2.5 ± 0.6 photons per pulse. We discuss in detail the experimental steps required to obtain this result and demonstrate the coherence of a stored time-bin pulse. We show a noise level of (7.1 ± 2.3) × 10 −3 photons per mode during storage, and this relatively low noise level paves the way for future quantum optics experiments using spin waves in rare-earth-doped crystals.

show abstract

“…The most widespread scheme relies on the stabilisation of the laser frequency to a high-finesse and super-stable optical Fabry-Pérot resonator by means of the Pound-Drever-Hall frequency stabilisation scheme [46]. An interesting alternative to this approach has recently been investigated, where the laser is stabilised to spectral holes burnt into an ensemble of Eu dopant ions in a solid at cryogenic temperatures [47][48][49]. Another method with high potential has been proposed that uses an active light source based on having alkaline-earth atoms in an optical lattice.…”

Section: Ultra-stable Lasers For Interrogation Of the Clock Transitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a redefinition of the second based on optical atomic clocks

Riehle

2015

Comptes Rendus. Physique

142

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Future redefinition of the second Frequency and time dissemination Mots-clés :Horloges optiques atomiques Étalons de fréquence Redéfinition future de la seconde Diffusion des fréquences et des signaux horairesThe rapid increase in accuracy and stability of optical atomic clocks compared to the caesium atomic clock as the primary standard of time and frequency asks for a future redefinition of the second in the International System of Units (SI). The status of the optical clocks based on either single ions in radio-frequency traps or on neutral atoms stored in an optical lattice is described, with special emphasis on the current work at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB, Braunschweig, Germany). Besides the development and operation of different optical clocks with estimated fractional uncertainties in the 10 −18 range, the supporting work on ultra-stable lasers as core elements and the means to compare remote optical clocks with transportable standards, optical fibres, or frequency ratios is reported. Finally, the conditions, methods and next steps are discussed, which are the prerequisites for a future redefinition of the second. © 2015 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.r é s u m é L'amélioration rapide en termes de précision et de stabilité des horloges atomiques optiques par rapport à l'horloge atomique au césium, qui constitue la référence primaire pour le temps et la fréquence, appelle une future redéfinition de la seconde dans le système international d'unités (SI). L'état d'avancement des horloges optiques basées sur des ions uniques dans des pièges radiofréquence ou sur des atomes neutres confinés dans le réseau optique est décrit, en insistant particulièrement sur le travail en cours à la PhysikalischTechnische Bundesanstalt (PTB, Brunswick, Allemagne). À côté du développement et de la mise en oeuvre de différentes horloges optiques avec des incertitudes fractionnelles estimées d'un ordre de grandeur de 10 −18 , les travaux sous-jacents sur les lasers ultra-stables comme éléments centraux ainsi que les moyens de comparer les horloges optiques lointaines avec des étalons transportables, des fibres optiques ou des rapports de fréquence * 507 sont exposés. Finalement, les conditions, les méthodes et les prochaines étapes sont discutées, qui sont des prérequis à une redéfinition de la seconde.

show abstract

Spectrally Narrow, Long-Term Stable Optical Frequency Reference Based on aEu3+∶Y2SiO5Crystal at Cryogenic Temperature

Cited by 32 publications

References 20 publications

Absolute and Relative Stability of an Optical Frequency Reference Based on Spectral Hole Burning inEu3+:Y2SiO5

Absolute and Relative Stability of an Optical Frequency Reference Based on Spectral Hole Burning inEu3+:Y2SiO5

Single-photon-level optical storage in a solid-state spin-wave memory

Towards a redefinition of the second based on optical atomic clocks

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About