Precision measurement of the lifetime of the 6p 2P_1/2 level of Yb+

TL;DR

This paper reports a highly precise measurement of the 6p 2P_1/2 state lifetime in a single trapped Yb+ ion using time-correlated photon counting, achieving a measurement of 8.12 ns with minimal systematic errors.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel single-ion measurement technique with ultrafast excitation and spatial filtering, significantly reducing systematic uncertainties in lifetime measurements.

Findings

Measured lifetime of 8.12 ns with 0.02 ns uncertainty

Used ultrafast pulses and single-mode fiber for excitation and detection

Achieved systematic error reduction in atomic lifetime measurement

Abstract

We present a precise measurement of the lifetime of the 6p 2P_1/2 excited state of a single trapped ytterbium ion (Yb+). A time-correlated single-photon counting technique is used, where ultrafast pulses excite the ion and the emitted photons are coupled into a single-mode optical fiber. By performing the measurement on a single atom with fast excitation and excellent spatial filtering, we are able to eliminate common systematics. The lifetime of the 6p 2P_1/2 state is measured to be 8.12 +/- 0.02 ns.