arXiv subjects

Tara M. Fortier

Publications and source records attributed to Tara M. Fortier.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Atomic clock frequency ratios with fractional uncertainty $\leq 3.2 \times 10^{-18}$

We report high-precision frequency ratio measurements between optical atomic clocks based on $^{27}$Al$^+$, $^{171}$Yb, and $^{87}$Sr. With total fractional uncertainties at or below $3.2 \times 10^{-18}$, these measurements meet an important milestone criterion for redefinition of the second in the International System of Units. Discrepancies in $^{87}$Sr ratios at approximately $1\times10^{-16}$ and the Al$^+$/Yb ratio at $1.6\times10^{-17}$ in fractional units compared to our previous measurements underscore the importance of repeated, high-precision comparisons by different laboratories. A key innovation in this work is the use of a common ultrastable reference delivered to all clocks via a 3.6 km phase-stabilized fiber link between two institutions. Derived from a cryogenic single-crystal silicon cavity, this reference improves comparison stability by a factor of 2 to 3 over previous systems, with an optical lattice clock ratio achieving a fractional instability of $1.3 \times 10^{-16}$ at 1 second. By enabling faster comparisons, this stability will improve sensitivity to non-white noise processes and other underlying limits of state-of-the-art optical frequency standards.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2026

High-performance source of indistinguishable polarization-entangled photons with a local oscillator reference for quantum networking

Optical quantum networking protocols impose stringent requirements on the states produced by sources of entanglement. We demonstrate a free-space, compact, source of indistinguishable pairs of polarization entangled photons, with an integrated local oscillator reference as a significant step towards this goal. This source achieves $(99.11 \pm 0.01) \%$ polarization entanglement visibility, $(96.3 \pm 0.6) \%$ successive-photon Hong-Ou-Mandel interference visibility, $(68.0 \pm 0.1$) \% heralded efficiency as detected, and $(88.6 \pm 0.2) \%$ interference visibility with a local oscillator. This simultaneous achievement of state-of-the-art metrics demonstrates an adaptable platform for quantum networking.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Phase-Stable Optical Fiber Links for Quantum Network Protocols

We demonstrate the distribution of single-photon-level pulses from a mode-locked laser source over a phase-stable fiber link, achieving an optical timing jitter of less than 100 as over 10 minutes of data accumulation. This stability enables a fidelity greater than 0.998 between two stabilized 2.1 km long deployed fiber links. Building on time and frequency metrology techniques traditionally used for high-stability optical atomic clock signal distribution, we use time and frequency multiplexing to achieve an isolation of quantum and classical channels of $8 \times 10^{10}$. Our results mark a necessary step towards scalable, high-rate quantum networks with a provable quantum advantage.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

High-Stability Single-Ion Clock with $5.5\times10^{-19}$ Systematic Uncertainty

We report a single-ion optical atomic clock with fractional frequency uncertainty of $5.5\times10^{-19}$ and fractional frequency stability of $3.5 \times10^{-16}/\sqrt{τ/\mathrm{s}}$, based on quantum logic spectroscopy of a single $^{27}$Al$^+$ ion. A co-trapped $^{25}$Mg$^+$ ion provides sympathetic cooling and quantum logic readout of the $^{27}$Al$^+$ $^1$S$_0\leftrightarrow^3$P$_0$ clock transition. A Rabi probe duration of 1 s, enabled by laser stability transfer from a remote cryogenic silicon cavity across a 3.6 km fiber link, results in a threefold reduction in instability compared to previous $^{27}$Al$^+$ clocks. Systematic uncertainties are lower due to an improved ion trap electrical design, which reduces excess micromotion, and a new vacuum system, which reduces collisional shifts. We also perform a direction-sensitive measurement of the ac magnetic field due to the RF ion trap, eliminating systematic uncertainty due to field orientation.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2022

Optical and microwave metrology at the 10-18 level with an Er/Yb:glass frequency comb

Optical frequency combs are an essential tool for precision metrology experiments ranging in application from remote spectroscopic sensing of trace gases to the characterization and comparison of optical atomic clocks for precision time-keeping and searches for physics beyond the standard model. Here we describe the architecture and fully characterize a telecom-band, self-modelocking frequency comb based on a free-space laser with an Er/Yb co-doped glass gain medium. The laser provides a robust and cost-effective alternative to Er:fiber laser based frequency combs, while offering stability and noise performance similar to Ti:sapphire laser systems. Finally, we demonstrate the Er/Yb:glass frequency comb's utility in high-stability frequency synthesis using two ultra-stable optical references at 1157 nm and 1070 nm and in low-noise photonic microwave generation by dividing these references to the microwave domain.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Optical coherence between atomic species at the second scale: improved clock comparisons via differential spectroscopy

Comparisons of high-accuracy optical atomic clocks \cite{Ludlow2015} are essential for precision tests of fundamental physics \cite{Safronova2018}, relativistic geodesy \cite{McGrew2018, Grotti2018, Delva2019}, and the anticipated redefinition of the SI second \cite{Riehle2018}. The scientific reach of these applications is restricted by the statistical precision of interspecies comparison measurements. The instability of individual clocks is limited by the finite coherence time of the optical local oscillator (OLO), which bounds the maximum atomic interrogation time. In this letter, we experimentally demonstrate differential spectroscopy \cite{Hume2016}, a comparison protocol that enables interrogating beyond the OLO coherence time. By phase-coherently linking a zero-dead-time (ZDT) \cite{Schioppo2017} Yb optical lattice clock with an Al$^+$ single-ion clock via an optical frequency comb and performing synchronised Ramsey spectroscopy, we show an improvement in comparison instability relative to our previous result \cite{network2020frequency} of nearly an order of magnitude. To our knowledge, this result represents the most stable interspecies clock comparison to date.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2021

10 GHz Generation with Ultra-Low Phase Noise via the Transfer Oscillator Technique

Coherent frequency division of high-stability optical sources permits the extraction of microwave signals with ultra-low phase noise, enabling their application to systems with stringent timing precision. To date, the highest performance systems have required tight phase stabilization of laboratory grade optical frequency combs to Fabry-Perot optical reference cavities for faithful optical-to-microwave frequency division. This requirement limits the technology to highly-controlled laboratory environments. Here, we employ a transfer oscillator technique, which employs digital and RF analog electronics to coherently suppress additive optical frequency comb noise. This relaxes the stabilization requirements and allows for the extraction of multiple independent microwave outputs from a single comb, while at the same time, permitting low-noise microwave generation from combs with higher noise profiles. Using this method we transferred the phase stability of two high-Finesse optical sources at 1157 nm and 1070 nm to two independent 10 GHz signals using a single frequency comb. We demonstrated absolute phase noise below -106 dBc/Hz at 1-Hz from carrier with corresponding 1 second fractional frequency instability below $2\times10^{-15}$. Finally, the latter phase noise levels were attainable for comb linewidths broadened up to 2 MHz, demonstrating the potential for out-of lab use with low SWaP lasers.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Optical Atomic Clock Comparison through Turbulent Air

We use frequency comb-based optical two-way time-frequency transfer (O-TWTFT) to measure the optical frequency ratio of state-of-the-art ytterbium and strontium optical atomic clocks separated by a 1.5 km open-air link. Our free-space measurement is compared to a simultaneous measurement acquired via a noise-cancelled fiber link. Despite non-stationary, ps-level time-of-flight variations in the free-space link, ratio measurements obtained from the two links, averaged over 30.5 hours across six days, agree to $6\times10^{-19}$, showing that O-TWTFT can support free-space atomic clock comparisons below the $10^{-18}$ level.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Frequency Ratio Measurements with 18-digit Accuracy Using a Network of Optical Clocks

Atomic clocks occupy a unique position in measurement science, exhibiting higher accuracy than any other measurement standard and underpinning six out of seven base units in the SI system. By exploiting higher resonance frequencies, optical atomic clocks now achieve greater stability and lower frequency uncertainty than existing primary standards. Here, we report frequency ratios of the $^{27}$Al$^+$, $^{171}$Yb and $^{87}$Sr optical clocks in Boulder, Colorado, measured across an optical network spanned by both fiber and free-space links. These ratios have been evaluated with measurement uncertainties between $6\times10^{-18}$ and $8\times10^{-18}$, making them the most accurate reported measurements of frequency ratios to date. This represents a critical step towards redefinition of the SI second and future applications such as relativistic geodesy and tests of fundamental physics.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2020

Coherent Optical Clock Down-Conversion for Microwave Frequencies with 10-18 Instability

Optical atomic clocks are poised to redefine the SI second, thanks to stability and accuracy more than one hundred times better than the current microwave atomic clock standard. However, the best optical clocks have not seen their performance transferred to the electronic domain, where radar, navigation, communications, and fundamental research rely on less stable microwave sources. By comparing two independent optical-to-electronic signal generators, we demonstrate a 10 GHz microwave signal with phase that exactly tracks that of the optical clock phase from which it is derived, yielding an absolute fractional frequency instability of 1*10-18 in the electronic domain. Such faithful reproduction of the optical clock phase expands the opportunities for optical clocks both technologically and scientifically for time-dissemination, navigation, and long-baseline interferometric imaging.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Ramsey-Bordé matter-wave interferometry for laser frequency stabilization at $10^{-16}$ frequency instability and below

We demonstrate Ramsey-Bordé (RB) atom interferometry for high performance laser stabilization with fractional frequency instability $<2 \times 10^{-16}$ for timescales between 10 and 1000s. The RB spectroscopy laser interrogates two counterpropagating $^{40}$Ca beams on the $^1$S$_0$ -- $^3$P$_1$ transition at 657 nm, yielding 1.6 kHz linewidth interference fringes. Fluorescence detection of the excited state population is performed on the (4s4p) $^3$P$_1$ -- (4p$^2$) $^3$P$_0$ transition at 431 nm. Minimal thermal shielding and no vibration isolation are used. These stability results surpass performance from other thermal atomic or molecular systems by one to two orders of magnitude, and further improvements look feasible.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2019

Demonstration of a time scale based on a stable optical carrier

We demonstrate a time scale based on a phase stable optical carrier that accumulates an estimated time error of $48\pm94$ ps over 34 days of operation. This all-optical time scale is formed with a cryogenic silicon cavity exhibiting improved long-term stability and an accurate $^{87}$Sr lattice clock. We show that this new time scale architecture outperforms existing microwave time scales, even when they are steered to optical frequency standards. Our analysis indicates that this time scale is capable of reaching a stability below $1\times10^{-17}$ after a few months of averaging, making timekeeping at the $10^{-18}$ level a realistic prospect.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2016

Microresonator Brillouin Laser Stabilization Using a Microfabricated Rubidium Cell

We frequency stabilize the output of a miniature stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) laser to rubidium atoms in a microfabricated cell to realize a laser system with frequency stability at the $10^{-11}$ level over seven decades in averaging time. In addition, our system has the advantages of robustness, low cost and the potential for integration that would lead to still further miniaturization. The SBS laser operating at 1560 nm exhibits a spectral linewidth of 820 Hz, but its frequency drifts over a few MHz on the 1 hour timescale. By locking the second harmonic of the SBS laser to the Rb reference, we reduce this drift by a factor of $10^3$ to the level of a few kHz over the course of an hour. For our combined SBS and Rb laser system, we measure a frequency noise of $4\times10^4$ $Hz^2/Hz$ at 10 Hz offset frequency which rapidly rolls off to a level of 0.2 $Hz^2/Hz$ at 100 kHz offset. The corresponding Allan deviation is $\leq2\times10^{-11}$ for averaging times spanning $10^{-4}$ to $10^3$ s. By optically dividing the signal of the laser down to microwave frequencies, we generate an RF signal at 2 GHz with phase noise at the level of -76 dBc/Hz and -140 dBc/Hz at offset frequencies of 10 Hz and 10 kHz, respectively.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Optical amplification and pulse interleaving for low noise photonic microwave generation

We investigate the impact of pulse interleaving and optical amplification on the spectral purity of microwave signals generated by photodetecting the pulsed output of an Er:fiber-based optical frequency comb. It is shown that the microwave phase noise floor can be extremely sensitive to delay length errors in the interleaver, and the contribution of the quantum noise from optical amplification to the phase noise can be reduced ~10 dB for short pulse detection. We exploit optical amplification, in conjunction with high power handling modified uni-traveling carrier photodetectors, to generate a phase noise floor on a 10 GHz carrier of -175 dBc/Hz, the lowest ever demonstrated in the photodetection of a mode-locked fiber laser. At all offset frequencies, the photodetected 10 GHz phase noise performance is comparable to or better than the lowest phase noise results yet demonstrated with stabilized Ti:sapphire frequency combs.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Absolute and relative stability of an optical frequency reference based on spectral hole burning in Eu$^{3+}$:Y$_2$SiO$_5$

We present and analyze four frequency measurements designed to characterize the performance of an optical frequency reference based on spectral hole burning in \EuYSO. The first frequency comparison, between a single unperturbed spectral hole and a hydrogen maser, demonstrates a fractional frequency drift rate of $5 \times 10^{-18}$ 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 $1 \times10^{-15} τ^{-1/2}$ that averages down to $2.5^{+1.1}_{-0.5} \times 10^{-16}$ at $τ= 540~s$ (with linear frequency drift removed). Finally, spectral hole patterns in two different \EuYSO crystals located in the same cryogenic vessel are compared, yielding a short-term stability of $7 \times10^{-16} τ^{-1/2}$ that averages down to $5.5^{+1.8}_{-0.9} \times 10^{-17}$ at $τ= 204$~s (with quadratic frequency drift removed).

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2013

Analysis of shot noise in the detection of ultrashort optical pulse trains

We present a frequency domain model of shot noise in the photodetection of ultrashort optical pulse trains using a time-varying analysis. Shot noise-limited photocurrent power spectral densities, signal-to-noise expressions, and shot noise spectral correlations are derived that explicitly include the finite response of the photodetector. It is shown that the strength of the spectral correlations in the shot noise depends on the optical pulse width, and that these correlations can create orders-of-magnitude imbalance between the shot noise-limited amplitude and phase noise of photonically generated microwave carriers. It is also shown that only by accounting for spectral correlations can shot noise be equated with the fundamental quantum limit in the detection of optical pulse-to-pulse timing jitter.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2013

Photonic microwave generation with high-power photodiodes

We utilize and characterize high-power, high-linearity modified uni-traveling carrier (MUTC) photodiodes for low-phase-noise photonic microwave generation based on optical frequency division. When illuminated with picosecond pulses from a repetition-rate-multiplied gigahertz Ti:sapphire modelocked laser, the photodiodes can achieve 10 GHz signal power of +14 dBm. Using these diodes, a 10 GHz microwave tone is generated with less than 500 attoseconds absolute integrated timing jitter (1 Hz-10 MHz) and a phase noise floor of -177 dBc/Hz. We also characterize the electrical response, amplitude-to-phase conversion, saturation and residual noise of the MUTC photodiodes.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2011

Frequency-stabilization to 6x10^-16 via spectral-hole burning

We demonstrate two-stage laser stabilization based on a combination of Fabry- Perot and spectral-hole burning techniques. The laser is first pre-stabilized by the Fabry-Perot cavity to a fractional-frequency stability of sigma_y(tau) < 10^-13. A pattern of spectral holes written in the absorption spectrum of Eu3+:Y2SiO5 serves to further stabilize the laser to sigma_y(tau) = 6x10^-16 for 2 s < tau < 8 s. Measurements characterizing the frequency sensitivity of Eu3+:Y2SiO5 spectral holes to environmental perturbations suggest that they can be more frequency stable than Fabry-Perot cavities.

physics.atom-ph↗