Frequency Comparison of Two High-Accuracy Al+ Optical Clocks

Understand

We have constructed an optical clock with a fractional frequency inaccuracy of 8.6e-18, based on quantum logic spectroscopy of an Al+ ion.

• A simultaneously trapped Mg+ ion serves to sympathetically laser-cool the Al+ ion and detect its quantum state.
• The frequency of the 1S0->3P0 clock transition is compared to that of a previously constructed Al+ optical clock with a statistical measurement uncertainty of 7.0e-18.
• The two clocks exhibit a relative stability of 2.8e-15/ sqrt(tau), and a fractional frequency difference of -1.8e-17, consistent with the accuracy limit of the older clock.