Phase shifts and fluctuations from motional, relativistic, and dark-matter effects in ion-trap clocks

Abstract:Ions possess both center-of-mass motion and internal states, rendering trapped-ion optical clocks susceptible to perturbations of both degrees of freedom, which results in systematic shifts and fluctuations with motional and relativistic origins. We develop a quantum theory that connects these effects to filter functions determined by the employed pulse sequences and show how the interrogation can be tailored to suppress or enhance specific perturbations. Our treatment includes laser frequency noise and motional effects such as recoil and Doppler shifts, micromotion and excess micromotion, as well as state-dependent trap imperfections and accelerations, e.g., caused by Stark shifts. We further account for relativistic effects including time dilation and the mass defect, and show how the same framework can be applied to hypothetical dark-matter signals. By considering ensemble-averaged phases and their variances, we characterize both systematic shifts and fluctuations, while asynchronous operation relative to the Paul-trap drive allows motional fluctuations to average down between runs. Our results provide a unified framework for characterizing and controlling the systematic and statistical contributions that determine the trueness and precision of trapped-ion optical clocks.

Quantum Physics (quant-ph); Atomic and Molecular Clusters (physics.atm-clus)

arXiv:2610.27994 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2610.27994v1 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2610.27994 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

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