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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Quantum-amplified global-phase spectroscopy on an optical clock transition

Optical lattice clocks are at the forefront of precision metrology, operating near a standard quantum limit set by quantum noise. Harnessing quantum entanglement offers a promising route to surpass this limit; however, there are practical difficulties in terms of scalability and measurement resolution requirements. Here we adapt the holonomic quantum gate concept to develop a new Rabi-type ‘global-phase spectroscopy’ that uses the detuning-sensitive global Aharonov–Anandan phase19. With this approach, we can demonstrate quantum-amplified time-reversal spectroscopy on an optical clock transition that achieves directly measured 2.4(7) dB metrological gain and 4.0(8) dB improvement in laser noise sensitivity beyond the standard quantum limit. To this end, we introduce rotary echo to protect the dynamics from inhomogeneities in light–atom coupling and implement a laser-noise-cancelling differential measurement through symmetric phase encoding in two nuclear spin states. Our technique is not limited by measurement resolution, scales easily because of the global nature of entangling interaction and exhibits high resilience to typical experimental imperfections. As a result, we expect it to be broadly applicable to next-generation atomic clocks and other quantum sensors approaching the fundamental quantum precision limits.

Zaporski, Leon [Massachusetts Institute of Technol↗
DOE OSTI2021

Long-lived Bell states in an array of optical clock qubits

The generation of long-lived entanglement on an optical clock transition is a key requirement to unlocking the promise of quantum metrology. Arrays of neutral atoms constitute a capable quantum platform for accessing such physics, where Rydberg-based interactions may generate entanglement between individually controlled and resolved atoms. To this end, we leverage the programmable state preparation afforded by optical tweezers along with the efficient strong confinement of a 3d optical lattice to prepare an ensemble of strontium atom pairs in their motional ground state. We engineer global single-qubit gates on the optical clock transition and two-qubit entangling gates via adiabatic Rydberg dressing, enabling the generation of Bell states, $|\psi{\rangle}$ $= \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}(|gg\rangle$ $+ i|ee\rangle{)}$, with a fidelity of $\mathcal{F}$ = 92.8(2:0)%. For use in quantum metrology, it is furthermore critical that the resulting entanglement be long lived; we find that the coherence of the Bell state has a lifetime of $τ_{bc}$ = 4:2(6) s via parity correlations and simultaneous comparisons between entangled and unentangled ensembles. Such Bell states can be useful for enhancing metrological stability and bandwidth. Further rearrangement of hundreds of atoms into arbitrary configurations using optical tweezers will enable implementation of many-qubit gates and cluster state generation, as well as explorations of the transverse field Ising model and Hubbard models with entangled or finite-range-interacting tunnellers.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evaluation of Lattice Light Shift at Low 10 -19 Uncertainty for a Shallow Lattice Sr Optical Clock

A Wannier-Stark optical lattice clock has demonstrated unprecedented measurement precision for optical atomic clocks. Here, we present a systematic evaluation of the lattice light shift, a necessary next step for establishing this system as an accurate atomic clock. With precise control of the atomic motional states in the lattice, we report accurate measurements of the multipolar and the hyperpolar contributions and the operational lattice light shift with a fractional frequency uncertainty of 3.5×10 -19 .

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Long-lived Bell states in an array of optical clock qubits

The generation of long-lived entanglement in optical atomic clocks is one of the main goals of quantum metrology. Arrays of neutral atoms, where Rydberg-based interactions may generate entanglement between individually controlled and resolved atoms, constitute a promising quantum platform to achieve this. Here we leverage the programmable state preparation afforded by optical tweezers and the efficient strong confinement of a three-dimensional optical lattice to prepare an ensemble of strontium-atom pairs in their motional ground state. We engineer global single-qubit gates on the optical clock transition and two-qubit entangling gates via adiabatic Rydberg dressing, enabling the generation of Bell states with a state-preparation-and-measurement-corrected fidelity of 92.8(2.0)% (87.1(1.6)% without state-preparation-and-measurement correction). For use in quantum metrology, it is furthermore critical that the resulting entanglement be long lived; we find that the coherence of the Bell state has a lifetime of 4.2(6) s via parity correlations and simultaneous comparisons between entangled and unentangled ensembles. Such long-lived Bell states can be useful for enhancing metrological stability and bandwidth. In the future, atomic rearrangement will enable the implementation of many-qubit gates and cluster state generation, as well as explorations of the transverse field Ising model.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Impacts of random filling on spin squeezing via Rydberg dressing in optical clocks

Here, we analyze spin squeezing via Rydberg dressing in optical lattice clocks with random fractional filling. We compare the achievable clock stability in different lattice geometries, including unity-filled tweezer clock arrays and fractionally filled lattice clocks with varying dimensionality. We provide practical considerations and useful tools in the form of approximate analytical expressions and fitting functions to aid in the experimental implementation of Rydberg-dressed spin squeezing. We demonstrate that spin squeezing via Rydberg dressing in one-, two-, and three-dimensional optical lattices can provide significant improvements in stability in the presence of random fractional filling.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Pulsating White Dwarf G117-B15A: Still the Most Stable Optical Clock Known

The pulsating hydrogen atmosphere white dwarf star G 117-B15A has been observed since 1974. Its main pulsation period at 215.19738823(63) s, observed in optical light curves, varies by only (5.12 ± 0.82) × 10 -15 s s -1 and shows no glitches, as pulsars do. The observed rate of period change corresponds to a change of the pulsation period by 1 s in 6.2 million yr. Here, we demonstrate that this exceptional optical clock can continue to put stringent limits on fundamental physics, such as constraints on interaction from hypothetical dark matter particles, as well as to search for the presence of external substellar companions.

1799↗
DOE OSTI2025

Collinear Three-Photon Excitation of a Strongly Forbidden Optical Clock Transition

The 1 𝑆 0 − 3 𝑃 0 clock transition in strontium serves as the foundation for the world’s best atomic clocks and for gravitational wave detector concepts in clock atom interferometry. This transition is weakly allowed in the fermionic isotope 87 Sr but strongly forbidden in bosonic isotopes. Here, we demonstrate coherent excitation of the clock transition in bosonic 88 Sr using a novel collinear three-photon process in a weak magnetic field. We observe Rabi oscillations with frequencies of up to 50 kHz using W/cm 2 laser intensities and Gauss-level magnetic field amplitudes. The absence of nuclear spin in bosonic isotopes offers decreased sensitivity to magnetic fields and optical lattice light shifts, enabling atomic clocks with reduced systematic errors. The collinear propagation of the laser fields permits the interrogation of spatially separated atomic ensembles with common laser pulses, a key requirement for dark matter searches and gravitational wave detection with next-generation quantum sensors.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Observation of millihertz-level cooperative Lamb shifts in an optical atomic clock

Collective couplings of atomic dipoles to a shared electromagnetic environment produce a wide range of many-body phenomena. We report on the direct observation of resonant electric dipole-dipole interactions in a cubic array of atoms in the many-excitation limit. The interactions produce spatially dependent cooperative Lamb shifts when spectroscopically interrogating the millihertz-wide optical clock transition in strontium-87. We show that the ensemble-averaged shifts can be suppressed below the level of evaluated systematic uncertainties for optical atomic clocks. Additionally, we demonstrate that excitation of the atomic dipoles near a Bragg angle can enhance these effects by nearly an order of magnitude compared with nonresonant geometries. Our work demonstrates a platform for precise studies of the quantum many-body physics of spins with long-range interactions mediated by propagating photons.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2022

Optical atomic clock aboard an Earth-orbiting space station (OACESS): enhancing searches for physics beyond the standard model in space

We present a concept for a high-precision optical atomic clock (OAC) operating on an Earth-orbiting space station. This pathfinder science mission will compare the space-based OAC with one or more ultra-stable terrestrial OACs to search for space-time-dependent signatures of dark scalar fields that manifest as anomalies in the relative frequencies of station-based and ground-based clocks. This opens the possibility of probing models of new physics that are inaccessible to purely ground-based OAC experiments where a dark scalar field may potentially be strongly screened near Earth's surface. This unique enhancement of sensitivity to potential dark matter candidates harnesses the potential of space-based OACs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

High-fidelity imaging of a band insulator in a three-dimensional optical lattice clock

Here, we report on the observation of a high-density, band insulating state in a three-dimensional optical lattice clock. Filled with a nuclear-spin-polarized degenerate Fermi gas of 87 Sr, the three-dimensional (3D) lattice has one atom per site in the ground motional state, thus guarding against frequency shifts due to contact interactions. At this high density where the average distance between atoms is comparable to the probe wavelength, conventional imaging techniques at saturation intensity suffer from large systematic errors. To spatially probe frequency shifts in the clock and measure thermodynamic properties of this system, accurate imaging techniques at high optical depths are required. Using a combination of highly saturated fluorescence and absorption imaging, we confirm the density distribution in our 3D optical lattice in agreement with a single spin band insulating state. Combining our clock platform with this high filling fraction opens the door to studying new classes of long-lived, many-body states arising from dipolar interactions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Hamiltonian engineering of spin-orbit–coupled fermions in a Wannier-Stark optical lattice clock

Engineering a Hamiltonian system with tunable interactions provides opportunities to optimize performance for quantum sensing and explore emerging phenomena of many-body systems. An optical lattice clock based on partially delocalized Wannier-Stark states in a gravity-tilted shallow lattice supports superior quantum coherence and adjustable interactions via spin-orbit coupling, thus presenting a powerful spin model realization. The relative strength of the on-site and off-site interactions can be tuned to achieve a zero density shift at a “magic” lattice depth. This mechanism, together with a large number of atoms, enables the demonstration of the most stable atomic clock while minimizing a key systematic uncertainty related to atomic density. Interactions can also be maximized by driving off-site Wannier-Stark transitions, realizing a ferromagnetic to paramagnetic dynamical phase transition.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Low SWaP Trapped Ion Atomic Clock

For this project we attempted to show signature traits of excellent optical clock performance in a trapped ion system which had an integrated photonic delivery system for all clock algorithm beams. These traits were 1) Contrast for the clock transition, 2) Coherence of the clock transition, and 3) ion lifetime. We were partially successful and were able to demonstrate the clock laser portion of an optical clock with $\sim 4.4 \text{x} 10^{-14}/\sqrt{\tau}$ fractional frequency instability. Additionally, we made progress towards a background-free detection method.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Picosecond Synchronization System for the Distribution of Photon Pairs Through a Fiber Link Between Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratories

Here we demonstrate a three-node quantum network for C-band photon pairs using 2 pairs of 59 km of deployed fiber between Fermi and Argonne National Laboratories. The C-band pairs are directed to nodes using a standard telecommunication switch and the detection system is synchronized to picosecond scale timing resolution using a coexisting O-or L-band optical clock distribution system. We measure a reduction of coincidence to-accidental ratio (CAR) of the C-band pairs from 51 ± 2 to 5.3 ± 0.4 due to Raman scattering of the O-band clock pulses. Despite this reduction, the CAR is nevertheless suitable for quantum networks.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Photonics Breakthroughs 2024: Narrow-Linewidth Lasers in the Visible and Near-Infrared

Narrow-linewidth lasers enable a variety of high-precision applications, such as sensing, optical clocks, and microwave frequency generation. Advances in photonic integration in the last decade led to the development of ultra-low-noise integrated semiconductor lasers, mostly in the telecom wavelength range. In recent years, the demand for high-performance lasers at shorter wavelengths skyrocketed, driven by applications in sensing and atom trapping. Low-noise lasers are of particular importance in this spectral range, as they are essential for optical clocks. Here, we will review recent progress in narrow-linewidth lasers at shorter wavelengths, present results on a hybrid-integrated low-noise laser at 780 nm and discuss the perspectives and challenges of high-performance semiconductor lasers in the visible and near-infrared.

Prokoshin, Artem [King Abdullah University of Scie↗