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arXiv · 0807.3408

Doppler-free spectroscopy of the 1S0-3P0 optical clock transition in laser-cooled fermionic isotopes of neutral mercury

M. Petersen·R. Chicireanu·S. T. Dawkins·D. V. Magalhães·C. Mandache·Y. Lecoq·A. Clairon·S. Bize
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Abstract

We have performed for the first time direct laser spectroscopy of the 1S0-3P0 optical clock transition at 265.6 nm in fermionic isotopes of neutral mercury laser-cooled in a magneto-optical trap. Spectroscopy is performed by measuring the depletion of the magneto-optical trap induced by the excitation of the long-lived 3P0 state by a probe at 265.6 nm. Measurements resolve the Doppler-free recoil doublet allowing for a determination of the transition frequency to an uncer- tainty well below the Doppler-broadened linewidth. We have performed absolute measurement of the frequency with respect to an ultra-stable reference monitored by LNE-SYRTE fountain pri- mary frequency standards using a femtosecond laser frequency comb. The measured frequency is 1128575290808 +/- 5.6 kHz in 199Hg and 1128569561140 +/- 5.3 kHz in 201Hg, more than 4 orders of magnitude better than previous indirect determinations. Owing to a low sensitivity to blackbody radiation, mercury is a promising candidate for reaching the ultimate performance of optical lattice clocks.

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M. Petersen, R. Chicireanu, S. T. Dawkins, D. V. Magalhães, C. Mandache, Y. Lecoq, A. Clairon, S. Bize. 2008-07-22. Doppler-free spectroscopy of the 1S0-3P0 optical clock transition in laser-cooled fermionic isotopes of neutral mercury. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.101.183004

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