Absolute frequency measurements of the ${}^1{\rm S}_0 \rightarrow {}^1{\rm P}_1$ transition in ytterbium

TL;DR

This paper reports two independent measurements of the absolute frequency of the ${}^1{ m S}_0 ightarrow {}^1{ m P}_1$ transition in ytterbium using atomic fluorescence spectroscopy, providing a more precise value amidst previous discrepancies.

Contribution

The study provides the first independent measurements of the ytterbium transition frequency using two different wavemeters, reducing uncertainty and resolving previous inconsistencies.

Findings

Transition frequency estimated at 751,526,537 ± 27 MHz

Doppler shift cancellation achieved through angle tuning

Measurements improve precision of ytterbium transition data

Abstract

The ytterbium atom is widely used in the fields of atomic physics, cavity quantum electrodynamics, quantum information processing and optical frequency standards. There is however a strong dispersion among the reported values of the ${}^1{\rm S}_0 \rightarrow {}^1{\rm P}_1$ transition frequency. In this article, we present two independent measurements of the absolute frequency of this transition performed with two different wavemeters using atomic fluorescence spectroscopy. The cancellation of Doppler shifts is obtained by fine tuning the angle between the probe laser and the atomic beam. The resulting $^{174}\mathrm{Yb}$ isotope transition frequency is estimated to be $\,751\,526\,537\pm27$ MHz.