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Measurement of the Differential Static Scalar Polarizability of the Sr+88 Clock Transition

T. Lindvall*, K. J. Hanhijärvi, T. Fordell, and A. E. Wallin

  • *Contact author: thomas.lindvall@vtt.fi
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 043402 – Published 24 July, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/52by-28mr

Abstract

We report on a precision measurement of the differential static scalar polarizability Δα0 of the S21/2→D25/2 optical clock transition in the Sr+88 ion. The polarizability was determined from the “magic” ion-trap drive frequency where the micromotion-induced second-order Doppler and quadratic Stark shifts cancel, using a single clock in an interleaved scheme by switching between minimized and large micromotion. By measuring at different Mathieu qz parameters, Δα0 can be obtained without prior knowledge of the angle between the rf electric field and the trap axis, which would otherwise dominate the systematic uncertainty. For validation, measurements were carried out at different micromotion levels and by displacing the ion in opposite directions. The results show excellent consistency and our value, Δα0=−4.8314(20)×10−40  Jm2/V2=−29.303(12)  au, reduces the uncertainty by a factor of 3.5 compared to a previous measurement, while showing a discrepancy of 5σ. Our measurement reduces the polarizability-related uncertainty of the Sr+88 clock to 2.2×10−19 for a blackbody radiation temperature of 295 K—a significant step towards total uncertainties <1×10−18. Using existing polarizability transfer schemes, the result can reduce the uncertainty also for other ion species.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 043402– Published 24 July, 2025
  • Received 20 March 2025
  • Accepted 1 July 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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