title: Rydberg spectroscopy in an optical lattice: blackbody thermometry for atomic clocks.
abstract: We show that optical spectroscopy of Rydberg states can provide accurate in situ thermometry at room temperature. Transitions from a metastable state to Rydberg states with principal quantum numbers of 25-30 have 200 times larger fractional frequency sensitivities to blackbody radiation than the strontium clock transition. We demonstrate that magic-wavelength lattices exist for both strontium and ytterbium transitions between the metastable and Rydberg states. Frequency measurements of Rydberg transitions with 10(-16) accuracy provide 10 mK resolution and yield a blackbody uncertainty for the clock transition of 10(-18).
authors.affiliation: Physics Department, Voronezh State University, Universitetskaya pl. 1, 394006, Voronezh, Russia.
authors.forename: Vitali D
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Ovsiannikov
authors.forename: Andrei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Derevianko
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gibble