Abstract: An atomic oven includes a cartridge and a main body. The cartridge includes a holder that accommodates an atom source; and a capillary nozzle. The main body includes: a housing in which the cartridge is installed; a button heater; an access opening for removing the cartridge from the main body and placing the cartridge into the main body, the access opening being provided on the atmosphere side, which is outside the main body; and a passage from the access opening to the housing. The cartridge is inserted into the main body through the access opening and is installed in the housing. The atom source is heated by the button heater, whereby atomic gas generated from the atom source is emitted as an atom beam to the vacuum side, which is outside the main body.

Abstract: By heating a high-temperature bath with a heater, atomic gas is generated in the high-temperature bath from an atomic source. A magneto-optical trap is realized by a laser beam reflected by a right-angled conical mirror and a magnetic field formed by a magnetic field generator, and the atomic gas is confined by using the magneto-optical trap and cooled. The cooled atoms are output from an opening to the outside of a slow atom beam generator by a laser beam, which is a push laser beam. A slow atomic beam is thereby formed.

Abstract: There is a need to maintain or enhance the magnetic field correction accuracy of a physics package while making the physics package more compact and portable. A triaxial magnetic field correction coil is provided inside a vacuum chamber surrounding a clock transition space having atoms disposed therein. The triaxial magnetic field correction coil is formed into a shape such that it is possible to correct, for magnetic field components of three axial directions passing through the clock transition space, a constant term, a first order spatial derivative term, a second order spatial derivative term, a third or higher order spatial derivative term, or some given combination of these terms. The triaxial magnetic field correction coil can be used in, for example, a physics package for an optical lattice clock.

Abstract: An electronic state splitter for atoms comprises an atom supplier, an atom movement path, a probe laser source, and a magnetic field generator. The atom supplier supplies atoms moving at a constant velocity along the atom movement path. The probe laser source supplies a probe laser propagating in the atom movement path in the same direction as or opposite to the motion of the atoms on the same axis as the atom movement path. The magnetic field generator generates a magnetic field orthogonal to the atom movement path in the atom movement path to mix the wave function of the clock upper state with the electronic state allowing electric dipole transitions, allowing pulsed excitation of clock transitions by the probe laser uniform in time and space. Accordingly, continuous spectroscopy of atomic transitions and frequency control of the probe laser are possible, which improves the stability of the atomic clock.

Abstract: An optical lattice clock includes a clock transition space having disposed therein an atom group trapped in an optical lattice, and a triaxial magnetic field correction coil for correcting the magnetic field of the clock transition space. Additionally, in a correction space that includes the clock transition space and is larger than the clock transition space, a photoreceiver promotes the clock transition of the atom group trapped in the optical lattice and acquires a clock transition frequency distribution for the correction space. Further, a corrector corrects the magnetic field of the triaxial magnetic field correction coil on the basis of the frequency distribution measured by the photo receiver.

Abstract: A magneto-optical trap method including applying a magnetic field to an atom encapsulated in a vacuum vessel and having a nuclear spin of not less than 3/2 by using an anti-Helmholtz coil. Then generating a laser beam including a first laser beam detuned from a first resonance frequency when the atom transits from a total angular momentum quantum number F in a ground state to a total angular momentum quantum number F?=F+1 in an excited state, and a second laser beam detuned from a second resonance frequency when the atom transits from the total angular momentum quantum number F in the ground state to a total angular momentum quantum number F?=F?1 in the excited state.

Abstract: A magneto-optical trap apparatus includes a vacuum vessel for encapsulating an atom to be trapped, an anti-Helmholtz coil for applying a magnetic field to an inside of the vacuum vessel, a laser device for generating a laser beam, and an irradiation device for irradiating the generated laser beam from a plurality of directions. The laser beam includes a first laser beam detuned from a first resonance frequency when the atom transits from a total angular momentum quantum number F in a ground state to a total angular momentum quantum number F?=F+1 in an excited state, and a second laser beam detuned from a second resonance frequency when the atom transits from the total angular momentum quantum number F in the ground state to a total angular momentum quantum number F?=F?1 in the excited state, among transitions from J=0 in a ground state to J?=1 in an excited state.

Abstract: A physical package is provided with: a MOT device; an optical chamber which constitutes an optical lattice formation portion; and a vacuum chamber which surrounds these components and has a substantially cylindrical shape. The MOT device is arranged along the beam axis of an atomic beam and traps an atom cluster. The optical lattice formation portion uses optical lattice light that enters therein to form an optical lattice in a cavity, confines the atom cluster trapped by the MOT device in the optical lattice, and transfers, along the X-axis which is a movement axis perpendicular to the beam axis, the atom cluster to a clock transition space which facilitates clock transition. The central axis of the cylinder of the main body of the vacuum chamber passes through the clock transition space, and is set to be substantially parallel with the beam axis.

Abstract: An optical lattice clock includes a clock transition space having disposed therein an atom group trapped in an optical lattice, and a triaxial magnetic field correction coil for correcting the magnetic field of the clock transition space. Additionally, in a correction space that includes the clock transition space and is larger than the clock transition space, a photoreceiver promotes the clock transition of the atom group trapped in the optical lattice and acquires a clock transition frequency distribution for the correction space. Further, a corrector corrects the magnetic field of the triaxial magnetic field correction coil on the basis of the frequency distribution measured by the photo receiver.

Abstract: There is a need to maintain or enhance the magnetic field correction accuracy of a physics package while making the physics package more compact and portable. A triaxial magnetic field correction coil provided inside a vacuum chamber surrounding a clock transition space having atoms disposed therein. The triaxial magnetic field correction coil formed into a shape such that it is possible to correct, for magnetic field components of three axial directions passing through the clock transition space, a constant term, a first order spatial derivative term, a second order spatial derivative term, a third or higher order spatial derivative term, or some given combination of these terms. The triaxial magnetic field correction coil can be used in, for example, a physics package for an optical lattice clock.

Abstract: A tri-axial magnetic field correction coil includes a first coil group and a second coil group with respect to an X-axis direction that passes through a clock transition space in which atoms are disposed. The first coil group is a Helmholtz-type coil composed in a point-symmetrical shape around the clock transition space. The second coil group is composed in a point-symmetrical shape around the clock transition space with respect to the X-axis direction, and is a non-Helmholtz-type coil that differs from the first coil group in terms of coil size, coil shape, or distance between coils.

Abstract: A Ramsey spectrometer is provided with an optical path, an optical path length stabilization circuit configured to stabilize a length of the optical path, a modulator optically connected to the optical path, the modulator being configured to generate resonant laser light of a first frequency f1 that causes a resonance of an atom, a molecule, or an ion as a spectroscopic target in pulses a plurality of times and generates non-resonant laser light of a second frequency f2 that does not cause the resonance, and a spectroscopic unit configured to spectroscope the spectroscopic target. The spectroscopic unit detects a state change of the spectroscopic target corresponding to the first frequency f1, the state change being caused by irradiating the resonant laser light to the spectroscopic target.

Abstract: Provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a radiation shield 10 including a shield wall surrounding a hollow region capable of accommodating therein atoms for an optical lattice clock 100, the shield wall having, provided therein, at least two apertures communicating with outside.

Abstract: An external-cavity semiconductor laser includes a semiconductor laser element containing a gallium nitride material, a first lens disposed in an optical path of light emitted from the semiconductor laser element, a wavelength selective element disposed in an optical path of light transmitted through the first lens and configured to selectively transmit light having a predetermined wavelength, a second lens disposed in an optical path of light transmitted through the wavelength selective element, an output coupler disposed in an optical path of light condensed through the second lens, and a light-transmissive protective member bonded to at least one surface of the output coupler. The second lens is configured to cause light transmitted through the second lens and incident on the output coupler to form an image on a surface of the output coupler. The protective member covers the surface of the output coupler on which the image is formed.

Abstract: An external-cavity semiconductor laser includes a semiconductor laser element containing a gallium nitride material, a first lens disposed in an optical path of light emitted from the semiconductor laser element, a wavelength selective element disposed in an optical path of light transmitted through the first lens and configured to selectively transmit light having a predetermined wavelength, a second lens disposed in an optical path of light transmitted through the wavelength selective element, an output coupler disposed in an optical path of light condensed through the second lens, and a light-transmissive protective member bonded to at least one surface of the output coupler. The second lens is configured to cause light transmitted through the second lens and incident on the output coupler to form an image on a surface of the output coupler. The protective member covers the surface of the output coupler on which the image is formed.

Abstract: A magneto-optical trap apparatus includes a vacuum vessel for encapsulating an atom to be trapped, an anti-Helmholtz coil for applying a magnetic field to an inside of the vacuum vessel, a laser device for generating a laser beam, and an irradiation device for irradiating the generated laser beam from a plurality of directions. The laser beam includes a first laser beam detuned from a first resonance frequency when the atom transits from a total angular momentum quantum number F in a ground state to a total angular momentum quantum number F?=F+1 in an excited state, and a second laser beam detuned from a second resonance frequency when the atom transits from the total angular momentum quantum number F in the ground state to a total angular momentum quantum number F?=F?1 in the excited state, among transitions from J=0 in a ground state to J?=1 in an excited state.

Abstract: An embodiment of an optical lattice clock comprising atoms and a laser light source at an operational magic frequency is provided. The atoms are capable of making a clock transition between two levels of electronic states, and the laser light source generates at least a pair of counterpropagating laser beams, each of which having a lattice-laser intensity I. The pair of counterpropagating laser beams forms an optical lattice potential for trapping the atoms at around antinodes of a standing wave created by it. The operational magic frequency is one of the frequencies that have an effect of making lattice-induced clock shift of the clock transition insensitive to variation ?I of the lattice-laser intensity I, the lattice-induced clock shift being a shift in a frequency for the clock transition of the atoms caused by the variation ?I of the lattice-laser intensity I.

Abstract: Provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a radiation shield 10 including a shield wall surrounding a hollow region capable of accommodating therein atoms for an optical lattice clock 100, the shield wall having, provided therein, at least two apertures communicating with outside.

Abstract: An embodiment of an optical lattice clock comprising atoms and a laser light source at an operational magic frequency is provided. The atoms are capable of making a clock transition between two levels of electronic states, and the laser light source generates at least a pair of counterpropagating laser beams, each of which having a lattice-laser intensity I. The pair of counterpropagating laser beams forms an optical lattice potential for trapping the atoms at around antinodes of a standing wave created by it. The operational magic frequency is one of the frequencies that have an effect of making lattice-induced clock shift of the clock transition insensitive to variation ?I of the lattice-laser intensity I, the lattice-induced clock shift being a shift in a frequency for the clock transition of the atoms caused by the variation ?I of the lattice-laser intensity I.

Abstract: Various embodiments improve accuracy by increasing the number of atoms engaged in a clock transitions in an optical lattice clock. An exemplary optical lattice clock an embodiment comprises an optical waveguide, an optical path, a laser light source, and a laser cooler. The optical path has a hollow pathway that extends from a first end to a second end while being surrounded with a tubular wall, which is used as a waveguide path. The optical path passes between mirrors and through the pathway. The laser light source supplies to the optical path a pair of lattice lasers (L1 and L2) propagating in opposite directions with each other. The laser cooler supplies cooled atoms that have two levels of electronic states associated with a clock transition to the vicinity of the first end of the optical waveguide.