Visible optical beats at the hertz level

Hertz-level measurement of the optical clock frequency in a single 88Sr+ ion.

The frequency of the 5s 2S(1/2)-4d 2D(5/2) electric quadrupole clock transition in a single, trapped, laser-cooled 88Sr+ ion has been measured by using an optical frequency comb referenced to a cesium fountain primary frequency standard. The frequency of the transition is measured as 444,779,044,095,484.6 (1.5) hertz, with a fractional uncertainty within a factor of 3 of that of the cesium stan...

Visible binocular beats from invisible monocular stimuli during binocular rivalry

When two qualitatively different stimuli are presented at the same time, one to each eye, the stimuli can either integrate or compete with each other. When they compete, one of the two stimuli is alternately suppressed, a phenomenon called binocular rivalry [1,2]. When they integrate, observers see some form of the combined stimuli. Many different properties (for example, shape or color) of the...

Optical Interferometry : Imaging at Visible and Infrared Wavelengths

Progress in astronomy is dependent on the development of new instrumentation that can provide data which are better in some way than the data which were available before. One improvement that has consistently led to astronomical discoveries is that of seeing finer detail in objects. In astronomy, the majority of the objects under study cannot easily be brought closer for inspection, so the typi...

The Strontium Optical Lattice Clock: Optical Spectroscopy with Sub-Hertz Accuracy

Printable Optical Filters for Visible Optical Communications

The design, production and characterization of tailored printable optical filters for visible optical communications are demonstrated. As result, the average color difference between the specified and the produced filters is 32.6, quantified in terms of CIELAB coordinates.