Optical frequency standard based on a two-photon transition in calcium

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new optical frequency standard using a two-photon transition in calcium atoms, aiming for compact, portable devices with high precision and rapid averaging capabilities.

Contribution

It introduces a novel two-photon transition in calcium for optical standards and describes an interrogation scheme and systematic effect analysis.

Findings

Potential for <10^{-16} accuracy in portable devices

Efficient interrogation scheme for calcium transition

Estimated sensitivity to systematic effects

Abstract

A two-photon transition in laser-cooled and trapped calcium atoms is proposed as the atomic reference in an optical frequency standard. An efficient scheme for interrogation of the frequency standard is described, and the sensitivity of the clock transition to systematic effects is estimated. Frequency standards based on this transition could lead to compact and portable devices that are capable of rapidly averaging down to $< 10^{-16}$.