Optical clocks testing fundamental physics (B02)

• Subject Area: Optics, Quantum Optics and Physics of Atoms, Molecules and Plasmas
• Term: since 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 274200144

Optical clocks accurate to 18 digits are the most precise measurement devices available. In the first funding period we have started to use two complementary clocks consisting of a single trapped ion and neutral atoms in an optical lattice to probe for physics beyond the Standard Model. In the future we will further improve the accuracy of the clocks by an order of magnitude. Their high sensitivity enables us to search for signatures of ultra-light dark matter and for temporal and spatial variations in e.g. the fine structure constant through frequency comparisons, including optical references available in projects B03, B05, and B04. We thus contribute to DQ-mat’s goal to test fundamental physics using quantum metrology.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1227: Designed Quantum States of Matter (DQ-mat) - generation, manipulation, and detection for metrological applications and tests of fundamental physics
• Applicant Institution: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover
• Project Heads: Dr. Nils Huntemann, since 7/2020; Privatdozent Dr. Christian Lisdat; Dr. Uwe Sterr, until 6/2024