Colloquium: Physics of optical lattice clocks

TL;DR

Optical lattice clocks, utilizing trapped atoms and a novel 'magic' trapping technique, promise unprecedented precision in timekeeping and have diverse applications in quantum measurement and information processing.

Contribution

This paper reviews the principles, recent advancements, and novel concepts like 'magic' trapping in optical lattice clocks, highlighting their potential for ultra-precise timekeeping and quantum applications.

Findings

Achieved fractional accuracy of 10^-18 in optical lattice clocks.

Introduced the concept of 'magic' trapping for atoms in optical lattices.

Discussed applications in precision measurements and quantum information.

Abstract

Recently invented and demonstrated, optical lattice clocks hold great promise for improving the precision of modern timekeeping. These clocks aim at the 10^-18 fractional accuracy, which translates into a clock that would neither lose or gain a fraction of a second over an estimated age of the Universe. In these clocks, millions of atoms are trapped and interrogated simultaneously, dramatically improving clock stability. Here we discuss the principles of operation of these clocks and, in particular, a novel concept of "magic" trapping of atoms in optical lattices. We also highlight recently proposed microwave lattice clocks and several applications that employ the optical lattice clocks as a platform for precision measurements and quantum information processing.