SPECTROSCOPY OF 175LU+ FOR OPTICAL CLOCK APPLICATIONS

Abstract

With the extreme precision now reached by optical clocks it is reasonable to consider redefinition of the frequency standard. In doing so, it is important to look beyond the current best-case efforts and have an eye on future possibilities.

Singly ionized lutetium has recently been suggested as a potential clock candidate. Lu+ has a particularly narrow optical transition which in combination with several advantageous properties for managing systematic uncertainties open the possibilities to implement a multi-ion crystal clock. In this work we report for the first time laser spectroscopy of the 1S0 to 3D1 clock transition in 175Lu+ including important lifetimes and branching ratios relevant to clock operation.