Sub-doppler Spectroscopy Achieves 100kHz Linewidth in 9x14x4.4mm3 Strontium Vapor Cell for Atomic Clocks

The pursuit of increasingly precise atomic clocks and quantum technologies demands innovative approaches to confining and manipulating atoms, and researchers are now demonstrating significant advances with miniaturised vapor cells. Yang Li, alongside John Kitching and Matthew T. Hummon from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, report a remarkably narrow linewidth of 100kHz for a key strontium atomic transition within a compact, microfabricated vapor cell measuring just 9x14x4. 4 millimetres. This achievement establishes a new upper limit on the purity of the vacuum within these cells, and importantly, opens up possibilities for inexpensive, scalable frequency references and laser locking mechanisms crucial for next-generation cold-atom atomic clocks and quantum experiments. The team’s work represents a substantial step towards compact and precise quantum technologies, offering a pathway to wider accessibility and deployment of these advanced systems.

4) mm3 vapor cell. This measurement establishes an upper bound on the residual gas pressure inside the vapor cell, limiting it to 10 mTorr, and demonstrates the potential for compact and affordable atomic clocks and sensors based on strontium vapour.

Microfabricated Cell Enables Narrowest Linewidth Spectroscopy

This research demonstrates a remarkably narrow linewidth of 100kHz for strontium atoms within a miniaturized vapor cell, a significant improvement over conventional systems and a step towards practical applications in precision measurement and quantum technologies. The team determined that the residual gas pressure within the microfabricated cell is sufficiently low to achieve this level of spectral stability, and the performance is comparable to that of larger, conventional systems while offering scalability and reduced cost. This microfabrication approach promises a path towards creating compact, scalable optical frequency standards and reference cells. The experiment utilized a microfabricated vapor cell, allowing for miniaturization and potentially mass production.

Researchers performed high-resolution spectroscopy on strontium atoms, precisely measuring the linewidth of a specific spectral line and estimating the upper limit of residual gas pressure within the cell based on this measurement. Analysis of how the spectral line broadened with varying laser power allowed them to determine the intrinsic linewidth of the strontium atoms. This narrow linewidth is crucial for building highly accurate optical frequency standards, which underpin atomic clocks, and enables high-precision measurements in various fields with potential applications in quantum computing, communication, and sensing. The microfabricated approach enables the creation of compact and portable devices for these applications, offering a path towards mass production and scalability.

Narrow Linewidth Achieved in Strontium Vapor Cell

Scientists achieved a 100kHz linewidth for the 689nm strontium intercombination line within a microfabricated vapor cell measuring 9x14x4. 4 mm3. This measurement establishes an upper bound of 10 mTorr for residual gas pressure within the cell. The team employed frequency modulation spectroscopy to stabilize the laser beam and modulate its frequency, revealing distinct spectral features for comprehensive analysis of the atomic properties within the cell. Detailed analysis of the spectroscopic signal, fitted with a mathematical model, allowed researchers to extract the residual linewidth.

Measurements of this linewidth as a function of laser beam size demonstrated consistent results, indicating minimal degradation compared to traditional experiments. These findings suggest that broadening mechanisms beyond atomic movement, such as residual Doppler broadening and laser characteristics, dominate the observed linewidth. This work demonstrates a significant advancement in miniaturized frequency standards. The achieved 100kHz linewidth, smaller than those in many other atomic systems, paves the way for scalable, compact optical frequency references with implications for optical lattice clocks, laser locking systems, and quantum computing platforms utilizing alkaline earth atoms.

Microfabricated Cell Achieves Narrow Strontium Linewidth

Researchers have successfully demonstrated a linewidth of 100kHz for the 689nm strontium intercombination line within a microfabricated vapor cell, a result significantly smaller than those previously achieved with other atomic systems. This achievement represents a substantial step towards developing compact and scalable optical frequency standards, essential components in precision measurements and atomic clocks. The team’s method involves utilizing a microfabricated vapor cell, offering a potentially inexpensive and scalable platform for advanced atomic physics experiments and quantum technologies. The measured linewidth demonstrates performance comparable to existing laboratory experiments, indicating that the new microfabricated design does not compromise precision.

Furthermore, the research establishes an upper limit of 10 mTorr for residual gas pressure within the vapor cell, providing valuable insight for optimizing cell construction and performance. While the study highlights the potential of this technology, broadening mechanisms beyond atomic motion contribute to the observed linewidth. Future work will likely focus on further reducing these broadening effects and exploring the full potential of this microfabricated platform for applications in optical lattice clocks and quantum computing based on alkaline earth atoms, paving the way for a new generation of compact, precise frequency references and advancements in quantum technologies.