Cold-atom clock based on a diffractive optic

Elvin, R. and Hoth, G. W. and Wright, M. and Lewis, B. and McGilligan, J. P. and Arnold, A. S. and Griffin, P. F. and Riis, E. (2019) Cold-atom clock based on a diffractive optic. Optics Express, 27 (26). pp. 38359-38366. ISSN 1094-4087

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    Abstract

    Clocks based on cold atoms offer unbeatable accuracy and long-term stability, but their use in portable quantum technologies is hampered by a large physical footprint. Here, we use the compact optical layout of a grating magneto-optical trap (gMOT) for a precise frequency reference. The gMOT collects 10 7 87Rb atoms, which are subsequently cooled to 20 µK in optical molasses. We optically probe the microwave atomic ground-state splitting using lin┴lin polarised coherent population trapping and a Raman-Ramsey sequence. With ballistic drop distances of only 0.5 mm, the measured short-term fractional frequency stability is 2 × 10 −11/√τ.

    ORCID iDs

    Elvin, R. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0450-4727, Hoth, G. W., Wright, M., Lewis, B., McGilligan, J. P. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6514-9696, Arnold, A. S. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7084-6958, Griffin, P. F. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0134-7554 and Riis, E. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3225-5302;
    • Item type:Article
      ID code:70965
      Dates:
      Date
      Event
      18 December 2019
      Published
      9 December 2019
      Accepted
      10 September 2019
      Submitted
      Keywords:physics.atom-ph, cold atoms, quantum technologies, grating magneto-optical trap, Physics, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
      Subjects:Science > Physics
      Department:Faculty of Science > Physics
      Strategic Research Themes > Ocean, Air and Space
      Depositing user: Pure Administrator
      Date deposited:18 Dec 2019 10:43
      Last modified:27 Nov 2021 01:58
      URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/70965
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