Ramsey-Borde atom interferometry with a thermal strontium beam for a compact optical clock

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a compact optical atomic clock using Ramsey-Borde interferometry with a thermal strontium beam, achieving high stability suitable for mobile and space applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel implementation of RBI with strontium atoms, combining a detailed experimental setup and stability analysis for potential field applications.

Findings

Achieved a short-term stability of 4x10^-14 / sqrt{tau}

Demonstrated effective fluorescence detection at 461 nm

Analyzed Ramsey fringes with a numerical model

Abstract

Compact optical atomic clocks have become increasingly important in field applications and clock networks. Systems based on Ramsey-Borde interferometry (RBI) with a thermal atomic beam seem promising to fill a technology gap in optical atomic clocks, as they offer higher stability than optical vapour cell clocks while being less complex than cold atomic clocks. Here, we demonstrate RBI with strontium atoms, utilizing the narrow 1S0 -> 3P1 intercombination line at 689 nm, yielding a 60 kHz broad spectral feature. The obtained Ramsey fringes for varying laser power are analyzed and compared with a numerical model. The 1S0 -> 1P1 transition at 461 nm is used for fluorescence detection. Analyzing the slope of the RBI signal and the fluorescence detection noise yields an estimated short-term stability of 4x10-14 / sqrt{tau}. We present our experimental setup in detail, including the atomic beam source, frequency-modulation spectroscopy to lock the 461 nm laser, laser power stabilization and the high-finesse cavity pre-stabilization of the 689 nm laser. Our system serves as a ground testbed for future clock systems in mobile and space applications.