arXiv subjects

Tim Lücke

Publications and source records attributed to Tim Lücke.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Interspecies clock comparison below $5 \times 10^{-18}$ uncertainty with a transportable clock

We report a measurement of the optical frequency ratio between the $^2\mathrm{S}_{1/2}(F=0)$--${^2\mathrm{F}_{7/2}(F=3)}$ electric-octupole (E3) transition of $^{171}$Yb$^{+}$ and the $^1\mathrm{S}_0$--${^3\mathrm{P}_0}$ transition of $^{87}$Sr, $\nu_{\mathrm{Yb}^{+}}/\nu_\mathrm{Sr} = 1.495\,991\,618\,544\,900\,588\,1(65)$. Reaching a fractional uncertainty of $4.3 \times 10^{-18}$, this result improves upon the previous best by more than a factor of three and is among the few that meet the requirements for interspecies clock comparisons specified by the roadmap towards the redefinition of the SI second. The comparison is between a transportable optical lattice clock and a stationary single-ion clock. It spans a period of nearly two years, during which the transportable clock was intermittently operated off-campus. The ratio was reproducibly measured during four separate campaigns, which are consistent within their statistical uncertainties. The results demonstrate reproducible $10^{-18}$ level operation of the transportable clock and thus validate its application for chronometric geodesy and as a transfer standard for inter-institute clock comparisons, e.g., in the absence of optical fiber links.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2024

International comparison of optical frequencies with transportable optical lattice clocks

Optical clocks have improved their frequency stability and estimated accuracy by more than two orders of magnitude over the best caesium microwave clocks that realise the SI second. Accordingly, an optical redefinition of the second has been widely discussed, prompting a need for the consistency of optical clocks to be verified worldwide. While satellite frequency links are sufficient to compare microwave clocks, a suitable method for comparing high-performance optical clocks over intercontinental distances is missing. Furthermore, remote comparisons over frequency links face fractional uncertainties of a few $10^{-18}$ due to imprecise knowledge of each clock's relativistic redshift, which stems from uncertainty in the geopotential determined at each distant location. Here, we report a landmark campaign towards the era of optical clocks, where, for the first time, state-of-the-art transportable optical clocks from Japan and Europe are brought together to demonstrate international comparisons that require neither a high-performance frequency link nor information on the geopotential difference between remote sites. Conversely, the reproducibility of the clocks after being transported between countries was sufficient to determine geopotential height offsets at the level of 4 cm. Our campaign paves the way for redefining the SI second and has a significant impact on various applications, including tests of general relativity, geodetic sensing for geosciences, precise navigation, and future timing networks.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2022

A transportable clock laser system with an instability of $1.6 \times 10^{-16}$

We present a transportable ultra-stable clock laser system based on a Fabry-Pérot cavity with crystalline Al$_{0.92}$Ga$_{0.08}$As/GaAs mirror coatings, fused silica (FS) mirror substrates and a 20~cm-long ultra-low expansion (ULE\textsuperscript{\textregistered}) glass spacer with a predicted thermal noise floor of $\mathrm{mod}\,σ_\mathrm{y} = 7 \times 10^{-17}$ in modified Allan deviation at one second averaging time. The cavity has a cylindrical shape and is mounted at ten points. Its measured sensitivity of the fractional frequency to acceleration for the three Cartesian directions are $2(1) \times 10^{-12}$/(ms$^{-2}$), $3(3) \times 10^{-12}$/(ms$^{-2}$) and $3(1) \times 10^{-12}$/(ms$^{-2}$), which belong to the lowest acceleration sensitivities published for transportable systems. The laser system's instability reaches down to $\mathrm{mod}\,σ_\mathrm{y} = 1.6 \times 10^{-16}$

physics.optics↗