9 research outputs found
Precision spectroscopy by photon-recoil signal amplification
Precision spectroscopy of atomic and molecular ions offers a window to new
physics, but is typically limited to species with a cycling transition for
laser cooling and detection. Quantum logic spectroscopy has overcome this
limitation for species with long-lived excited states. Here, we extend quantum
logic spectroscopy to fast, dipole-allowed transitions and apply it to perform
an absolute frequency measurement. We detect the absorption of photons by the
spectroscopically investigated ion through the photon recoil imparted on a
co-trapped ion of a different species, on which we can perform efficient
quantum logic detection techniques. This amplifies the recoil signal from a few
absorbed photons to thousands of fluorescence photons. We resolve the line
center of a dipole-allowed transition in 40Ca+ to 1/300 of its observed
linewidth, rendering this measurement one of the most accurate of a broad
transition. The simplicity and versatility of this approach enables
spectroscopy of many previously inaccessible species.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, updated supplementary information,
fixed typo
Sympathetic Cooling of Mixed Species Two-Ion Crystals for Precision Spectroscopy
Sympathetic cooling of trapped ions has become an indispensable tool for
quantum information processing and precision spectroscopy. In the simplest
situation a single Doppler-cooled ion sympathetically cools another ion which
typically has a different mass. We analytically investigate the effect of the
mass ratio of such an ion crystal on the achievable temperature limit in the
presence of external heating. As an example, we show that cooling of a single
Al+ with Be+, Mg+ and Ca+ ions provides similar results for heating rates
typically observed in ion traps, whereas cooling ions with a larger mass
perform worse. Furthermore, we present numerical simulation results of the
rethermalisation dynamics after a background gas collision for the Al+/Ca+
crystal for different cooling laser configurations.Comment: Made Graphics black & white print compatible, clarified abstract and
summar
AEDGE: Atomic Experiment for Dark Matter and Gravity Exploration in Space
Abstract: We propose in this White Paper a concept for a space experiment using cold atoms to search for ultra-light dark matter, and to detect gravitational waves in the frequency range between the most sensitive ranges of LISA and the terrestrial LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA/INDIGO experiments. This interdisciplinary experiment, called Atomic Experiment for Dark Matter and Gravity Exploration (AEDGE), will also complement other planned searches for dark matter, and exploit synergies with other gravitational wave detectors. We give examples of the extended range of sensitivity to ultra-light dark matter offered by AEDGE, and how its gravitational-wave measurements could explore the assembly of super-massive black holes, first-order phase transitions in the early universe and cosmic strings. AEDGE will be based upon technologies now being developed for terrestrial experiments using cold atoms, and will benefit from the space experience obtained with, e.g., LISA and cold atom experiments in microgravity. KCL-PH-TH/2019-65, CERN-TH-2019-12
A New Laser Technology for LISA
Within the European Space Agency (ESA) activity “Gravitational Wave Observatory Metrology Laser” we designed a laser head to fulfill the LISA laser requirements using a non-NPRO seed laser technology: an external cavity diode laser (ECDL) with resonant optical feedback from an external cavity as master oscillator for further linewidth narrowing. Furthermore, our design features a single-stage fiber amplifier with an amplification factor of about 20 dB. This paper covers the requirements on the laser source for LISA, the design and first results of performance characterization of the laser head breadboard
Space based lasers for gravitational wave detection
We present the requirements, design, and tests of a potential laser system for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission as well as a potential frequency stabilization system