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Cited by 1,073Advanced Frequency and Time StandardsQuantum Information and CryptographyCold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates

An optical lattice clock with accuracy and stability at the 10−18 level

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Bloom, B. J., Nicholson, T. L., Williams, J. R., Campbell, S. L., Bishof, M., Zhang, X., Zhang, W., Bromley, S. L. +1 more·2014·Nature
DOI 10.1038/nature12941
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Abstract

Progress in atomic, optical and quantum science has led to rapid improvements in atomic clocks. At the same time, atomic clock research has helped to advance the frontiers of science, affecting both fundamental and applied research. The ability to control quantum states of individual atoms and photons is central to quantum information science and precision measurement, and optical clocks based on single ions have achieved the lowest systematic uncertainty of any frequency standard. Although many-atom lattice clocks have shown advantages in measurement precision over trapped-ion clocks, their accuracy has remained 16 times worse. Here we demonstrate a many-atom system that achieves an accuracy of 6.4 × 10(-18), which is not only better than a single-ion-based clock, but also reduces the required measurement time by two orders of magnitude. By systematically evaluating all known sources of uncertainty, including in situ monitoring of the blackbody radiation environment, we improve the accuracy of optical lattice clocks by a factor of 22. This single clock has simultaneously achieved the best known performance in the key characteristics necessary for consideration as a primary standard-stability and accuracy. More stable and accurate atomic clocks will benefit a wide range of fields, such as the realization and distribution of SI units, the search for time variation of fundamental constants, clock-based geodesy and other precision tests of the fundamental laws of nature. This work also connects to the development of quantum sensors and many-body quantum state engineering (such as spin squeezing) to advance measurement precision beyond the standard quantum limit.

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  • Bloom et al. (2014) demonstrated an atomic clock with a many-atom system that reaches an accuracy of 6×10^-18 and could improve the accuracy of optical lattice clocks by a factor of 22.

    “Bloom et al. (2014) demonstrated an atomic clock with a many-atom system that reaches an accuracy of 6×10 -18 and could improve the accuracy of optical lattice clocks by a factor of 22.”

    From Time transfer and significance of vertical land motion in relativistic geodesy applications: a review paper (2023) · cites this paper as Bloom et al. (2014)

    The Abstract (p. 1) says the many-atom clock achieves an accuracy of 6×10^-18. The Introduction (p. 2) reports a factor-of-20 improvement in total uncertainty over earlier optical lattice clocks, not the claimed factor of 22. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Optical clocks operate at frequencies about five orders of magnitude higher than caesium clocks and thus achieve higher frequency stability, approaching fractional stabilities and uncertainties of one part in 10^18.

    “The optical clocks operate at frequencies about five orders of magnitude higher than the caesium clocks and thus achieve a higher frequency stability, approaching fractional stabilities and uncertainties of one part in 10 18 (Chou et al. 2010;Hinkley et al. 2013;Bloom et al. 2014;Nicholson et al. 2015;Ushijima et al. 2015;Huntemann et al. 2016).”

    From Geodetic methods to determine the relativistic redshift at the level of 10 $$^{-18}$$ - 18 in the context of international timescales: a review and practical results (2018) · cites this paper as Bloom et al. 2014

    The Introduction (pp. 2–3) reports a fractional uncertainty of 6.4×10⁻¹⁸ and an instability of 3×10⁻¹⁸ at 10,000 seconds, supporting the claim that optical clocks approach the 10⁻¹⁸ level. It does not state that their operating frequencies are about five orders of magnitude above caesium clocks or attribute their higher stability to that frequency difference. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The latest generation of optical clocks and dedicated frequency links are approaching to deliver comparison of frequencies at the level of 1.0 × 10−18.

    “The latest generation of optical clocks as well as the dedicated frequency links, for example optical fibres, are now approaching to deliver the comparison of frequencies at the level of 1.0 × 10−18.”

    From Clock networks for height system unification: a simulation study (2019) · cites this paper as Bloom et al. 2014

    The Introduction (p. 2) reports an optical clock uncertainty of 6.4 × 10−18, and the Conclusions (p. 9) say the demonstrated techniques have no foreseeable limitation to reaching below 1 × 10−18. The Introduction also discusses advances in frequency distribution, with a fibre-link study listed in the References (p. 10). But the paper does not establish a clock comparison over a dedicated link at 1 × 10−18; its reported comparison of two clocks had a combined uncertainty of 5.4 × 10−17 (Frequency Comparison, p. 3). (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The frequency stability and uncertainty of the latest generation of optical atomic clocks is now approaching one part in 10^18.

    “The frequency stability and uncertainty of the latest generation of optical atomic clocks is now approaching the one part in 10 18 level.”

    From Geodetic methods to determine the relativistic redshift at the level of 10 $$^{-18}$$ - 18 in the context of international timescales: a review and practical results (2018) · cites this paper as Bloom et al. 2014

  • Recently, two optical clocks in laboratories approached the 10−18 level.

    “Recently, two optical clocks in laboratories approached the 10−18 level (Bloom et al. 2014; Huntemann et al. 2016).”

    From Clock networks for height system unification: a simulation study (2019) · cites this paper as Bloom et al. 2014

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 18

  1. [3]3. Bordé, C. J. Base units of the SI, fundamental c onstants and modern quantum physics. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 363, 2177-2201 (2005).
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  3. [9]9. Chou, C. W., Hume, D. B., Koelemeij, J. C. J., Wineland, D. J. & Rosenband, T. Frequency Comparison of Two High-Accuracy Al + Optical Clocks. Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 070802 (2010).
  4. [10]10. Huntemann, N. et al. High-Accuracy Optical Clock Based on the Octupole Transition in 171 Yb + . Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 090801 (2012).
  5. [11]11. Madej, A. A., Dubé, P., Zhou, Z., Bernard, J. E . & Gertsvolf, M. 88 Sr + 445-THz Single-Ion Reference at the 10 -17 Level via Control and Cancellation of Systematic Uncertainties and Its Measurement against the SI Second. Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 203002 (2012).
  6. [12]12. Oskay, W. et al. Single-Atom Optical Clock with High Accuracy. Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 020801 (2006).
  7. [16]16. Lemke, N. et al. Spin-1/2 Optical Lattice Clock. Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 063001 (2009).
  8. [17]17. Le Targat, R. et al. Experimental realization of an optical second with strontium lattice clocks. Nat. Comm. 4, (2013). doi:10.1038/ncomms3109 · DOI · Paper page
  9. [21]21. Nicholson, T. L. et al. Comparison of Two Independent Sr Optical Clocks with 1×10 -17 stability at 10 3 s. Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 230801 (2012).
  10. [22]22. Hinkley, N. et al. An Atomic Clock with 10 -18 Instability. Science (2013). doi:10.1126/science.1240420 · DOI · Paper page
  11. [27]27. Lemke, N. D. et al. p-Wave Cold Collisions in an Optical Lattice Clock. Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 103902 (2011).
  12. [28]28. Middelmann, T., Falke, S., Lisdat, C. & Sterr, U. High Accuracy Correction of Blackbody Radiation Shift in an Optical Lattice Clock. Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 263004 (2012).
  13. [32]32. Yasuda, M. & Katori, H. Lifetime Measurement of the 3 P2 Metastable State of Strontium Atoms. Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 153004 (2004).
  14. [33]33. Middelmann, T. et al. Tackling the Blackbody Shift in a Strontium Optical Lattice Clock. IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas. 60, 2550-2557 (2011).
  15. [34]34. Boyd, M. et al. 87 Sr Lattice Clock with Inaccuracy below 10 -15 . Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 083002 (2007).
  16. [35]35. Westergaard, P. G. et al. Lattice-Induced Frequency Shifts in Sr Optical Lattice Clocks at the 10 -17 Level. Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 210801 (2011).
  17. [36]36. Lodewyck, J., Zawada, M., Lorini, L., Gurov, M. & Lemonde, P. Observation and cancellation of a perturbing dc stark shift in strontium optical lattice clocks. IEEE Trans. Ultrason. Ferroelectr. Freq. Control 59, 411-415 (2012).
  18. [38]38. Safronova, M. S., Porsev, S. G., Safronova, U. I., Kozlov, M. G. & Clark, C. W. Blackbody-radiation shift in the Sr optical atomic clock. Phys. Rev. A. 87, 012509 (2013).

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Authors
Bloom, B. J., Nicholson, T. L., Williams, J. R., Campbell, S. L., Bishof, M., Zhang, X., Zhang, W., Bromley, S. L., & Ye, J.
Affiliations
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology (US)
  • California Institute of Technology (US)
Corresponding author
Ye, J.
ORCID
Venue
Nature
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2014-01-22
Volume
506
Issue
7486
Pages
71-75
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
DOI
10.1038/nature12941
OpenAlex
W2036614989
Cited by
1,073
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 38 · 2025: 61 · 2024: 61 · 2023: 63 · 2022: 49 · 2021: 72 · 2020: 65 · 2019: 81 · 2018: 97 · 2017: 90 · 2016: 130 · 2015: 158 · 2014: 104 · 2013: 4
FWCI
79.95
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • Durham Research Online (Durham University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • arXiv (Cornell University)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics › Advanced Frequency and Time Standards
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Quantum Information and Cryptography
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics › Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates
Keywords
optical lattice clock, strontium atoms, clock accuracy, clock stability, systematic uncertainties, blackbody radiation, primary frequency standard, measurement time reduction, variation of fundamental constants, quantum sensors, many-body systems, precision measurement, trapped ions, quantum information

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