1Key Laboratory of Atomic Frequency Standards, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071 2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049
Abstract：An ultra-narrow spectroscopy of clock transition with high signal-to-noise ratio is crucial for a high-performance atomic optical clock. We present a detailed study about how to obtain a Hertz-level clock transition spectrum of $^{171}$Yb atoms. About $4\times10^{4}$ atoms are loaded into a one-dimensional optical lattice with a magic wavelength of 759 nm, and a long lifetime of 3 s is realized with the lattice power of 1 W. Through normalized shelving detection and spin polarization, $^{171}$Yb clock spectroscopy with a Fourier-limited linewidth of 5.9 Hz is obtained. Our work represents a key step toward an ytterbium optical clock with high frequency stability.
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2016, Vol. 33 
