Coupling atoms to cavities with narrow linewidth optical transitions: Applications to frequency metrology

TL;DR

This paper discusses how narrow linewidth optical atomic transitions can be used to improve frequency metrology through atom-cavity interactions, enabling advanced clock techniques and high-precision references.

Contribution

It provides a pedagogical overview of atom-cavity coupling physics with narrow linewidth transitions and explores applications in optical frequency metrology.

Findings

Demonstration of atom-cavity interactions dominating decoherence

Techniques for nondestructive readout and entanglement in clocks

Methods for cavity-enhanced laser stabilization

Abstract

Narrow linewidth optical atomic transitions provide a valuable resource for frequency metrology, and form the basis of today's most precise and accurate clocks. Recent experiments have demonstrated that ensembles of atoms can be interfaced with the mode of an optical cavity using such transitions, and that atom-cavity interactions can dominate over decoherence processes even when the atomic transition that mediates the interactions is very weak. This scenario enables new opportunities for optical frequency metrology, including techniques for nondestructive readout and entanglement enhancement for optical lattice clocks, methods for cavity-enhanced laser frequency stabilization, and high-precision active optical frequency references based on superradiant emission. This tutorial provides a pedagogical description of the physics governing atom-cavity coupling with narrow linewidth optical transitions, and describes several examples of applications to optical frequency metrology.