Modulation transfer spectroscopy and isotope shifts of the transition of ytterbium
Phys. Rev. A 112, 062807 – Published 3 December, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/jmm1-cmhw
Abstract
We report on modulation transfer spectroscopy (MTS) of the transition of ytterbium in a vapor cell. We stabilized our laser on the MTS error signal and measured the offset frequencies relative to modes of an ultralow expansion cavity. The isotope shifts were extracted through these measurements. The Zeeman splitting of and , two fermionic isotopes with hyperfine structure, were also studied. Our results show significant deviations from linear Zeeman-effect calculations at intermediate magnetic fields of less than 60 G. Quadratic corrections to the Zeeman effect derived through second-order perturbation theory explain the observed nonlinearities. Such quadratic corrections are essential when using Zeeman-structure measurements to obtain the fermionic isotope shifts.