U. Rapol

Measurement of the hyperfine structure of the S1/2-D5/2 transition in 43Ca+

J. Benhelm [1], G. Kirchmair [1], U. Rapol [1], T. Koerber, C. F. Roos [1,2], R. Blatt [1,2]

Abstract

The hyperfine structure of the S1/2-D5/2 quadrupole transition at 729 nm in 43Ca+ has been investigated by laser spectroscopy using a single trapped 43Ca+ ion. We determine the hyperfine structure constants of the metastable level as A=-3.8931(2) MHz and B=-4.241(4) MHz. The isotope shift of the transition with respect to 40Ca+ was measured to be 4134.713(5) MHz. We demonstrate the existence of transitions that become independent of the first-order Zeeman shift at non-zero low magnetic fields. These transitions might be better suited for building a frequency standard than the well-known 'clock transitions' between m=0 levels at zero magnetic field.