Ytterbium in quantum gases and atomic clocks: van der Waals interactions and blackbody shifts

TL;DR

This paper calculates van der Waals coefficients and blackbody shift corrections for ytterbium, improving the precision of atomic clock measurements and providing new theoretical data for Yb interactions.

Contribution

It introduces a new method for calculating blackbody shift corrections and provides the first precise C_6 coefficients for Yb-alkali/group II interactions.

Findings

C_6 coefficient for Yb-Yb is 1929(39) a.u.

Blackbody shift correction for Yb clock transition is calculated with 3.5% uncertainty.

Blackbody shift uncertainty reduced to 10^{-18} level at 300 K.

Abstract

We evaluated the C_6 coefficients of Yb-Yb and Yb -alkali/group II van der Waals interactions with 2% uncertainty. The only existing results for such quantities are for the Yb-Yb dimer. Our value, C_6=1929(39) a.u., is in excellent agreement with the recent experimental determination of 1932(35) a.u. We have also developed a new approach for the calculation of the dynamic correction to the blackbody radiation shift. We have calculated this quantity for the Yb 6s^2 ^1S_0 - 6s6p ^3P_0 clock transition with 3.5% uncertainty. This reduces the fractional uncertainty due to the blackbody radiation shift in the Yb optical clock at 300 K to 10^{-18} level.