Optical-to-Microwave Frequency Comparison with a Fractional Uncertainty of 10-15
Abstract
We report the technical aspects of the optical-to-microwave comparison for our recent measurements of the optical frequency of the mercury single-ion frequency standard in terms of the SI second as realized by the NIST-F1 cesium fountain clock. Over the course of six years, these measurements have resulted in a determination of the mercury single-ion frequency with a fractional uncertainty of less than 7×10-16, making it the most accurately measured optical frequency to date. In this paper, we focus on the details of the comparison techniques used in the experiment and discuss the uncertainties associated with the optical-to-microwave synthesis based on a femtosecond laser frequency comb. We also present our most recent results in the context of the previous measurements of the mercury single-ion frequency and arrive at a final determination of the mercury single-ion optical frequency: f(Hg+)=1 064 721 609 899 145.30(69) Hz.
Repository Citation
Stalnaker, J. E., S. A. Diddams, T. M. Fortier, K. Kim, et al. 2007. "Optical-to-microwave frequency comparison with a fractional uncertainty of 10-15." Applied Physics B 89(167).
Publisher
Springer
Publication Date
1-1-2007
Publication Title
Applied Physics B
Department
Physics and Astronomy
Document Type
Article
DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00340-007-2762-z
Language
English
Format
text
