SC339 A Guide to Building an Optical Clock

Sunday, May 16, 2010
3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
Scott Diddams, Chris Oates; NIST, USA
Level: Beginner (no background or minimal training is necessary to understand course material)


Course Description

In the past few years there has been rapid growth in the field of optical frequency metrology because of advances in (1) laser cooling techniques of atoms and ions, (2) laser stabilization at the sub-Hertz level, and (3) a simple means for counting optical frequencies with mode-locked femtosecond laser frequency combs. Today, optical clocks can now provide frequency metrology capabilities that are 10-100 times better than those based on microwave technology. Initially, this research was limited to a few advanced metrology labs; however, optical clock technology has matured to the point where it is now becoming accessible to a much wider range of users and commercial and military applications.

The goal of this Short Course is to teach the students how to design and construct their own systems using this revolutionary technology. In the process, we will describe the three key components (optical frequency combs, stable optical cavities and atomic frequency references) and show how they are integrated in state-of-the-art optical frequency measurements. Students will be shown how to match and adapt clock technology to a wide range of applications while taking into account the trade-offs that exist between stability, accuracy, transportability complexity and cost.


Benefits and Learning Objectives

This course should enable you to:

  • Design an optical clock that can meet the requirements of a given application.
  • Evaluate the trade-offs between stability, accuracy, transportability, complexity and cost.
  • Identify the three basic building blocks of an optical clock.
  • List and assemble the components required to construct each of these building blocks.
  • Characterize the stability and/or phase noise of your optical clock.
  • Summarize the role of optical clock technology in applications such as length metrology, low noise oscillators, fundamental physical measurements and absolute frequency metrology.
  • Identify emerging applications where optical clock technology can have an impact.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for physicists, chemists and engineers desiring practical knowledge related to the design and construction of optical clocks. Instruction will be at a level appropriate for beginning graduate students and will assume some basic knowledge of laser and atomic physics.


Biography

Scott Diddams received a bachelor's degree in physics from Bethel College (St. Paul, Minnesota) in 1989 and a doctorate in optical science from the University of New Mexico in 1996. Between 1996 and 2000, he did postdoctoral work at JILA (NIST, University of Colorado), where he was supported in part by a National Research Council fellowship. Currently he works as a staff physicist in the time and frequency division of NIST in Boulder, where he enjoys research in nonlinear optics, ultrafast lasers and phenomena, and optical frequency metrology.

Chris Oates received a bachelor's degree in physics from Stanford University in 1984 and a doctorate in physics from the University of Colorado in 1995, under the supervision of John Hall. Between 1995 and 1998, he did postdoctoral work with Leo Hollberg at NIST, where he was supported by a National Research Council fellowship. Since 1998 he has been a staff physicist in the time and frequency division of NIST. His research focuses on precision spectroscopy of laser-cooled atoms, with an emphasis on the development of optical clocks based on cold neutral atoms.