1,932 research outputs found
Astronomical spectrograph calibration with broad-spectrum frequency combs
Broadband femtosecond-laser frequency combs are filtered to
spectrographically resolvable frequency-mode spacing, and the limitations of
using cavities for spectral filtering are considered. Data and theory are used
to show implications to spectrographic calibration of high-resolution,
astronomical spectrometers
Cavity QED with optically transported atoms
Ultracold Rb atoms are delivered into a high-finesse optical
micro-cavity using a translating optical lattice trap and detected via the
cavity field. The atoms are loaded into an optical lattice from a magneto-optic
trap (MOT) and transported 1.5 cm into the cavity. Our cavity satisfies the
strong-coupling requirements for a single intracavity atom, thus permitting
real-time observation of single atoms transported into the cavity. This
transport scheme enables us to vary the number of intracavity atoms from 1 to
100 corresponding to a maximum atomic cooperativity parameter of 5400, the
highest value ever achieved in an atom--cavity system. When many atoms are
loaded into the cavity, optical bistability is directly measured in real-time
cavity transmission.Comment: 4 figures, 4 page
Measurement of excited-state transitions in cold calcium atoms by direct femtosecond frequency-comb spectroscopy
We apply direct frequency-comb spectroscopy, in combination with precision cw
spectroscopy, to measure the transition
frequency in cold calcium atoms. A 657 nm ultrastable cw laser was used to
excite atoms on the narrow ( Hz) clock transition, and the direct output of the frequency comb was
used to excite those atoms from the state to the state. The resonance of this second stage was detected by observing a
decrease in population of the ground state as a result of atoms being optically
pumped to the metastable states. The transition frequency is measured to be kHz; which is an improvement by almost four orders of magnitude over
the previously measured value. In addition, we demonstrate spectroscopy on
magnetically trapped atoms in the state.Comment: 4 pages 5 figure
Kilohertz-resolution spectroscopy of cold atoms with an optical frequency comb
We have performed sub-Doppler spectroscopy on the narrow intercombination
line of cold calcium atoms using the amplified output of a femtosecond laser
frequency comb. Injection locking of a 657-nm diode laser with a femtosecond
comb allows for two regimes of amplification, one in which many lines of the
comb are amplified, and one where a single line is predominantly amplified. The
output of the laser in both regimes was used to perform kilohertz-level
spectroscopy. This experiment demonstrates the potential for high-resolution
absolute-frequency spectroscopy over the entire spectrum of the frequency comb
output using a single high-finesse optical reference cavity.Comment: 4 pages, 4 Figure
Observation of spinor dynamics in optically trapped 87Rb Bose-Einstein Condensates
We measure spin mixing of F=1 and F=2 spinor condensates of 87Rb atoms
confined in an optical trap. We determine the spin mixing time to be typically
less than 600 ms and observe spin population oscillations. The equilibrium spin
configuration in the F=1 manifold is measured for different magnetic fields and
found to show ferromagnetic behavior for low field gradients. An F=2 condensate
is created by microwave excitation from F=1 manifold, and this spin-2
condensate is observed to decay exponentially with time constant 250 ms.
Despite the short lifetime in the F=2 manifold, spin mixing of the condensate
is observed within 50 ms.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure
Ultralow phase noise microwave generation with an Er:fiber-based optical frequency divider
We present an optical frequency divider based on a 200 MHz repetition rate
Er:fiber mode-locked laser that, when locked to a stable optical frequency
reference, generates microwave signals with absolute phase noise that is equal
to or better than cryogenic microwave oscillators. At 1 Hz offset from a 10 GHz
carrier, the phase noise is below -100 dBc/Hz, limited by the optical
reference. For offset frequencies > 10 kHz, the phase noise is shot noise
limited at -145 dBc/Hz. An analysis of the contribution of the residual noise
from the Er:fiber optical frequency divider is also presented.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Systematic study of the Sr clock transition in an optical lattice
With ultracold Sr confined in a magic wavelength optical lattice, we
present the most precise study (2.8 Hz statistical uncertainty) to-date of the
- optical clock transition with a detailed analysis of
systematic shifts (20 Hz uncertainty) in the absolute frequency measurement of
429 228 004 229 867 Hz. The high resolution permits an investigation of the
optical lattice motional sideband structure. The local oscillator for this
optical atomic clock is a stable diode laser with its Hz-level linewidth
characterized across the optical spectrum using a femtosecond frequency comb.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl
Origin, burial and preservation of late Pleistocene-age glacier ice in Arctic permafrost (Bylot Island, NU, Canada)
Over the past decades, observations of buried glacier ice exposed in coastal
bluffs and headwalls of retrogressive thaw slumps of the Arctic have
indicated that considerable amounts of late Pleistocene glacier ice survived
the deglaciation and are still preserved in permafrost. In exposures, relict
glacier ice and intrasedimental ice often coexist and look alike but their
genesis is strikingly different. This paper aims to present a detailed
description and infer the origin of a massive ice body preserved in the
permafrost of Bylot Island (Nunavut). The massive ice exposure and core
samples were described according to the cryostratigraphic approach, combining
the analysis of permafrost cryofacies and cryostructures, ice
crystallography, stable O-H isotopes and cation contents. The ice was clear
to whitish in appearance with large crystals (cm) and small gas inclusions
(mm) at crystal intersections, similar to observations of englacial ice
facies commonly found on contemporary glaciers and ice sheets. However, the
δ18O composition (-34.0±0.4 ‰) of
the massive ice was markedly lower than contemporary glacier ice and was
consistent with the late Pleistocene age ice in the Barnes Ice Cap. This ice
predates the aggradation of the surrounding permafrost and can be used as an
archive to infer palaeo-environmental conditions at the study site. As most
of the glaciated Arctic landscapes are still strongly determined by their
glacial legacy, the melting of these large ice bodies could lead to extensive
slope failures and settlement of the ground surface, with significant impact
on permafrost geosystem landscape dynamics, terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems and infrastructure.</p
Observation and absolute frequency measurements of the 1S0 - 3P0 optical clock transition in ytterbium
We report the direct excitation of the highly forbidden (6s^2) 1S0 - (6s6p)
3P0 optical transition in two odd isotopes of ytterbium. As the excitation
laser frequency is scanned, absorption is detected by monitoring the depletion
from an atomic cloud at ~70 uK in a magneto-optical trap. The measured
frequency in 171Yb (F=1/2) is 518,295,836,593.2 +/- 4.4 kHz. The measured
frequency in 173Yb (F=5/2) is 518,294,576,850.0 +/- 4.4 kHz. Measurements are
made with a femtosecond-laser frequency comb calibrated by the NIST cesium
fountain clock and represent nearly a million-fold reduction in uncertainty.
The natural linewidth of these J=0 to J=0 transitions is calculated to be ~10
mHz, making them well-suited to support a new generation of optical atomic
clocks based on confinement in an optical lattice.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
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