Precise measurement of hmRb using Bloch oscillations in a vertical optical lattice: Determination of the fine-structure constant

Pierre Cladé, Estefania de Mirandes, Malo Cadoret, Saïda Guellati-Khélifa, Catherine Schwob, François Nez, Lucile Julien, and François Biraben
Phys. Rev. A 74, 052109 – Published 21 November 2006

Abstract

Bloch oscillations in a frequency-chirped optical lattice are a powerful tool to transfer coherently many photon momenta to atoms. We have used this method to measure accurately the ratio hmRb. In this paper we detail the experimental procedure and we present a complete analysis of the different systematic effects. They yield a global relative uncertainty of 13 parts per 109 (ppb). The measured value of hmRb is 4.59135929(6)×109m2s1. The deduced value of the fine-structure constant is α1=137.03599884 (91) with a relative uncertainty of 6.7ppb.

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  • Received 21 June 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.74.052109

©2006 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Pierre Cladé*, Estefania de Mirandes, Malo Cadoret, Saïda Guellati-Khélifa, Catherine Schwob, François Nez, Lucile Julien, and François Biraben

  • Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, UPMC, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France

  • *Present Address: National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8424, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8424.
  • Also at: INM, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, 61, rue Landy, 93210 La plaine Saint Denis, France.

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Vol. 74, Iss. 5 — November 2006

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