Using optical clock transitions in Cu II and Yb III for time-keeping and search for new physics

TL;DR

This paper evaluates specific optical transitions in Cu II and Yb III ions for their suitability as highly accurate atomic clocks and explores their potential in detecting new physics phenomena like variations in fundamental constants.

Contribution

It introduces a new configuration interaction method for complex ions and applies it to identify promising clock transitions and their sensitivity to fundamental physics.

Findings

Transitions exhibit features of ideal clock transitions

Calculated properties support high-precision measurements

Potential for detecting variations in fundamental constants

Abstract

We study the $^1$S$_0 - ^3$D$_2$ and $^1$S$_0 - ^3$D$_3$ transitions in Cu II and the $^1$S$_0 - ^3$P$^{\rm o}_2$ transition in Yb III as possible candidates for the optical clock transitions. A recently developed version of the configuration (CI) method, designed for a large number of electrons above closed-shell core, is used to carry out the calculation. We calculate excitation energies, transition rates, lifetimes, scalar static polarizabilities of the ground and clock states, and blackbody radiation shift. We demonstrate that the considered transitions have all features of the clock transition leading to prospects of highly accurate measurements. Search for new physics, such as time variation of the fine structure constant, is also investigated.