Possibility to construct a clock on non 0-0 transition

TL;DR

This paper explores the feasibility of creating atomic clocks based on non 0-0 transitions in high C-field regimes, which can reduce Zeeman effect influences and offer an alternative to conventional clocks.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework for constructing high C-field atomic clocks using non 0-0 transitions and estimates their potential accuracy and bias.

Findings

High C-field clocks can achieve a bias of 10^-14.

Certain alkali atom transitions are magnetically insensitive at specific C-fields.

The proposed method reduces the first-order Zeeman effect influence.

Abstract

In this letter, we discuss the possibility of non 0-0 atomic lines as the reference transitions to design a new atomic clock. The proposed clock operates in high C-field regime offering an interesting alternative to conventional clock based on 0-0 transition as the former can also eliminate the influence of the first-order Zeeman effect. Using the Breit-Rabi formula, we theoretically calculate the magnetically insensitive frequency and the corresponding C-field value for different alkali atom species. We also provide an estimate of the uncertainty of frequency shift to change of C-field. We show that a high C-field clock based on Cs: 3,-1 - 4,0, 3,0 - 4,-1, and 3,-1 - 4,-1, can achieve a bias of 10-14 with a C-field of 10-6 uncertainty. The free first-order Zeeman effect C-field for 3,-1 - 4,0 or 3,0 - 4,-1 transition is about one half that for 3,-1 - 4,-1 transition.