1,436 research outputs found
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
Hyperpolarizability and operational magic wavelength in an optical lattice clock
Optical clocks benefit from tight atomic confinement enabling extended
interrogation times as well as Doppler- and recoil-free operation. However,
these benefits come at the cost of frequency shifts that, if not properly
controlled, may degrade clock accuracy. Numerous theoretical studies have
predicted optical lattice clock frequency shifts that scale nonlinearly with
trap depth. To experimentally observe and constrain these shifts in an
Yb optical lattice clock, we construct a lattice enhancement cavity
that exaggerates the light shifts. We observe an atomic temperature that is
proportional to the optical trap depth, fundamentally altering the scaling of
trap-induced light shifts and simplifying their parametrization. We identify an
"operational" magic wavelength where frequency shifts are insensitive to
changes in trap depth. These measurements and scaling analysis constitute an
essential systematic characterization for clock operation at the
level and beyond.Comment: 5 + 2 pages, 3 figures, added supplementa
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
Sub-femtosecond absolute timing precision with a 10 GHz hybrid photonic-microwave oscillator
We present an optical-electronic approach to generating microwave signals
with high spectral purity. By circumventing shot noise and operating near
fundamental thermal limits, we demonstrate 10 GHz signals with an absolute
timing jitter for a single hybrid oscillator of 420 attoseconds (1Hz - 5 GHz)
Energy production in varying {\alpha} theories
Aims. On the basis the theoretical model proposed by Bekenstein for
{\alpha}'s variation, we analyze the equations that describe the energy
exchange between matter and both the electromagnetic and the scalar fields.
Methods. We determine how the energy flow of the material is modified by the
presence of a scalar field. We estimate the total magnetic energy of matter
from the "sum rules techniques". We compare the results with data obtained from
the thermal evolution of the Earth and other planets. Results. We obtain
stringent upper limits to the variations in {\alpha} that are comparable with
those obtained from atomic clock frequency variations. Conclusions. Our
constraints imply that the fundamental length scale of Bekenstein's theory "lB"
cannot be larger than Planck's length "lP"
Observation of the 1S0 - 3P0 clock transition in 27Al+
We report for the first time, laser spectroscopy of the 1S0 - 3P0 clock
transition in 27Al+. A single aluminum ion and a single beryllium ion are
simultaneously confined in a linear Paul trap, coupled by their mutual Coulomb
repulsion. This coupling allows the beryllium ion to sympathetically cool the
aluminum ion, and also enables transfer of the aluminum's electronic state to
the beryllium's hyperfine state, which can be measured with high fidelity.
These techniques are applied to a measurement of the clock transition
frequency, \nu = 1 121 015 393 207 851(8) Hz. They are also used to measure the
lifetime of the metastable clock state, \tau = 20.6 +/- 1.4 s, the ground state
1S0 g-factor, g_S = -0.00079248(14), and the excited state 3P0 g-factor, g_P =
-0.00197686(21), in units of the Bohr magneton.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; updated author lis
TESS and CHEOPS discover two warm sub-Neptunes transiting the bright K-dwarf HD 15906
We report the discovery of two warm sub-Neptunes transiting the bright (G = 9.5 mag) K-dwarf HD 15906 (TOI 461, TIC 4646810). This star was observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in sectors 4 and 31, revealing two small transiting planets. The inner planet, HD 15906 b, was detected with an unambiguous period but the outer planet, HD 15906 c, showed only two transits separated by ∼ 734 d, leading to 36 possible values of its period. We performed follow-up observations with the CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) to confirm the true period of HD 15906 c and improve the radius precision of the two planets. From TESS, CHEOPS, and additional ground-based photometry, we find that HD 15906 b has a radius of 2.24 ± 0.08 R⊕ and a period of 10.924709 ± 0.000032 d, whilst HD 15906 c has a radius of 2.93+0.07−0.06 R⊕ and a period of 21.583298+0.000052−0.000055 d. Assuming zero bond albedo and full day-night heat redistribution, the inner and outer planet have equilibrium temperatures of 668 ± 13 K and 532 ± 10 K, respectively. The HD 15906 system has become one of only six multiplanet systems with two warm (≲ 700 K) sub-Neptune sized planets transiting a bright star (G ≤ 10 mag). It is an excellent target for detailed characterization studies to constrain the composition of sub-Neptune planets and test theories of planet formation and evolution
Single-neutron transfer from 11Be gs via the (p,d) reaction with a radioactive beam
The 11Be(p,d)10Be reaction has been performed in inverse kinematics with a
radioactive 11Be beam of E/A = 35.3 MeV. Angular distributions for the 0+
ground state, the 2+, 3.37 MeV state and the multiplet of states around 6 MeV
in 10Be were measured at angles up to 16 deg CM by detecting the 10Be in a
dispersion-matched spectrometer and the coincident deuterons in a silicon
array. Distorted wave and coupled-channels calculations have been performed to
investigate the amount of 2+ core excitation in 11Be gs. The use of "realistic"
11Be wave functions is emphasised and bound state form factors have been
obtained by solving the particle-vibration coupling equations. This calculation
gives a dominant 2s component in the 11Be gs wave function with a 16% [2+ x 1d]
core excitation admixture. Cross sections calculated with these form factors
are in good agreement with the present data. The Separation Energy prescription
for the bound state wave function also gives satisfactory fits to the data, but
leads to a significantly larger [2 x 1d] component in 11Be gs.Comment: 39 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in Nuclear Physics A.
Added minor corrections made in proof to pages 26 and 3
The CHEOPS mission
The CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) was selected on October 19, 2012, as the first small mission (S-mission) in the ESA Science Programme and successfully launched on December 18, 2019, as a secondary passenger on a Soyuz-Fregat rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. CHEOPS is a partnership between ESA and Switzerland with important contributions by ten additional ESA Member States. CHEOPS is the first mission dedicated to search for transits of exoplanets using ultrahigh precision photometry on bright stars already known to host planets. As a follow-up mission, CHEOPS is mainly dedicated to improving, whenever possible, existing radii measurements or provide first accurate measurements for a subset of those planets for which the mass has already been estimated from ground-based spectroscopic surveys. The expected photometric precision will also allow CHEOPS to go beyond measuring only transits and to follow phase curves or to search for exo-moons, for example. Finally, by unveiling transiting exoplanets with high potential for in-depth characterisation, CHEOPS will also provide prime targets for future instruments suited to the spectroscopic characterisation of exoplanetary atmospheres. To reach its science objectives, requirements on the photometric precision and stability have been derived for stars with magnitudes ranging from 6 to 12 in the V band. In particular, CHEOPS shall be able to detect Earth-size planets transiting G5 dwarf stars (stellar radius of 0.9R(circle dot)) in the magnitude range 6 <= V <= 9 by achieving a photometric precision of 20 ppm in 6 hours of integration time. In the case of K-type stars (stellar radius of 0.7R(circle dot)) of magnitude in the range 9 <= V <= 12, CHEOPS shall be able to detect transiting Neptune-size planets achieving a photometric precision of 85 ppm in 3 hours of integration time. This precision has to be maintained over continuous periods of observation for up to 48 hours. This precision and stability will be achieved by using a single, frame-transfer, back-illuminated CCD detector at the focal plane assembly of a 33.5 cm diameter, on-axis Ritchey-Chretien telescope. The nearly 275 kg spacecraft is nadir-locked, with a pointing accuracy of about 1 arcsec rms, and will allow for at least 1 Gbit/day downlink. The sun-synchronous dusk-dawn orbit at 700 km altitude enables having the Sun permanently on the backside of the spacecraft thus minimising Earth stray light. A mission duration of 3.5 years in orbit is foreseen to enable the execution of the science programme. During this period, 20% of the observing time is available to the wider community through yearly ESA call for proposals, as well as through discretionary time approved by ESA's Director of Science. At the time of this writing, CHEOPS commissioning has been completed and CHEOPS has been shown to fulfill all its requirements. The mission has now started the execution of its science programme
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