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High-Resolution Spectroscopy of Yb173+ Ions

J. Jiang1,*, A. V. Viatkina1,2, Saaswath JK1, M. Steinel1, M. Filzinger1, E. Peik1, S. G. Porsev3, M. S. Safronova3, A. Surzyhkov1,2,4 et al.

N. Huntemann1,†

  • *Contact author: jian.jiang@ptb.de
  • †Contact author: nils.huntemann@ptb.de
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 023001 – Published 14 January, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/rcdh-s4d7

Abstract

Compared to other stable isotopes of Yb+, Yb+173 has a richer hyperfine structure, which leads to more favorable clock transitions, spectroscopic techniques for probing new physics, and more sophisticated quantum computing architectures. However, to date, its electronic spectrum remains poorly characterized. Here, we report on efficient laser cooling, state preparation, and detection of a single trapped Yb173+ ion. The previously unobserved S21/2→D23/2 electric quadrupole transition at 436 nm is coherently excited, and the isotope shift between Yb171+ on this transition is determined with an uncertainty of 1.4 Hz. Using microwave spectroscopy, we resolve the hyperfine structure (HFS) of the D23/2 state with a relative uncertainty below 10−8. From the HFS measurement data, we infer for Yb173 a nuclear magnetic octupole moment Ω=−0.062(8)(b×μN) with uncertainty reduced by more than 2 orders of magnitude compared to previous studies. The data also allow us to determine hyperfine anomalies for the S21/2 and D23/2 states.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 023001– Published 14 January, 2026
  • Received 2 October 2025
  • Revised 1 December 2025
  • Accepted 18 December 2025
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